Hooked On A Feeling
by livingintheshire
Summary: Based on Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. singing "Hooked On A Feeling". Post-movie. SLASH
1. Hooked On A Feeling

**AN: **This is based on Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. singing part of "Hooked On A Feeling" in this video on Youtube. Add /watch?feature=player_embedded&v= ztNNO834258 without spaces to the website in order to find it. The singing is at the very end, about the last 20 seconds or so! I just randomly got this silly idea to write this as a drabble, but it looks like it might turn into a multi-chapter fic. Please tell me if you want me to continue and any suggestions you might have! :) Once again, I hope it isn't rubbish! **~Heather**

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Tony Stark's taste in music was largely classic rock. It was common for Pepper to hear AC/DC or Led Zeppelin (among others) blasting from the laboratory. There really was no better music in Tony's mind. The music nowadays just couldn't compare. However, the mind is a strange device with endless pathways. At the most random times, the brain conjures up an idea from years past, a random fact learned from a book, or a song that you never listen to.

Bruce and Tony worked together in Tony's lab in his Malibu mansion. After careful persuasion on Tony's part, Bruce had accepted Tony's offer to move in with him and stay in the United States. With the repair work on the Stark Towers in New York underway, Tony decided they should spend some time in Malibu. He also thought the slightly warmer weather and the smaller population might put Bruce more at ease.

They had developed a system in the lab that worked for both Tony and Bruce. Much to Bruce's dismay but eventual happiness, Tony purchased every piece of lab equipment Bruce could ever need for his research and then proceeded to invent new lab equipment specifically for Bruce. Although Bruce said it was all too much, Tony insisted. The inventor smiled goofily when he was graced with the resulting gleam of excitement in Bruce's eyes as he gazed at the equipment, a look that could only be understood by another scientist. Tony also built Bruce his own personal lab, but they found they enjoyed each other's company and there was enough room in Tony's lab. When working in a lab, there is a large amount of down time waiting for the data and some monotonous work. Tony had always put music on before Bruce moved in, so after asking Bruce about music, they decided to put together a playlist. Thankfully for Tony's sanity, Bruce listened to much of the same music as Tony and only added a few songs and artists to their lab playlist. JARVIS also used complicated algorithms to suggest songs that they both would like.

At times, the playlist would end, or one of them would pause the music when reaching a difficult part of an experiment, or, though they often talked over the music, sometimes Bruce or Tony would stop the music when they were having a longer conversation or one of their many theoretical discussions. It was at one of these times when the playlist ended and both scientists were too focused to notice that Tony's brain pulled up a song from his childhood. Absentmindedly, he began to hum the song. Bruce looked up from his spectrometer data, his glasses slipping down his nose. It took him a moment to recognize the song as "Hooked On A Feeling" by B.J. Thomas, and then he laughed.

"What?" Tony asked, turning towards Bruce.

"Did you know you were humming?" Bruce replied, still chuckling.

Tony looked startled, but then mischievous. "No, I didn't realize. Why, did you like it?" Tony waggled his eyebrows and began humming the beginning of the song.

To Tony and Bruce's surprise, Bruce began to hum along, then at a nod from Tony, they both belted,

"Everything's alright.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'm..."

"Stuck on a feeling," Tony sang, while Bruce sang "Hooked on a feeling."

"Oh, no! You're right. It's hooked on a feeling, not stuck on a feeling. Wow, I haven't heard that song in a long time!" Tony said laughing and slightly embarrassed, while Bruce smiled at him.

JARVIS then spoke in an amused voice, "Would you like me to put that song on the lab playlist, sirs?"

"I think you must," said Bruce.

"Play it for us too, JARVIS!"

Pepper found them thirty minutes later with the song on repeat. She waited outside the glass doors, laughing at the spectacle and pulling out her phone to record the scene for private blackmail purposes before going back upstairs to work. Tony had lent Bruce one of his wrenches - they were using them as microphones and dancing around the room. Bruce had removed his glasses and rolled his sleeves up because he was getting warm from all the dancing and laughing. By this time, Tony had gotten the lyrics correct by singing "hooked" instead of "stuck". But there was one big problem Tony was noticing. In his head, the lyrics had changed again. The longer the song went on, the more he accidentally replaced the word "girl" with "boy".

"_I can't stop this feelin'_

_Deep inside of me_

_Boy, you just don't realize_

_What you do to me."_

When they ran out of breath, they collapsed on the couch, thighs brushing due to their haphazard landing.

Bruce kept laughing and then took a deep breath out before chuckling again. "Oh, I haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

Tony was smiling, but the gears in his brain were working at full speed, trying to figure out what he was feeling. "Me neither," Tony said.

Then it hit him. He was falling in love with Bruce Banner.

**AN:** If you want to follow me on Tumblr and see tons of Avengers stuff, my username is onmyowninaseparatesky :D Shameless promotion again!


	2. On Narcissism

**AN: **I am sick with a sinus infection, which blows (teehee, pun - oh no, kill me now!). That's part of the reason why this chapter took me awhile, but it's also because I struggled with this chapter, which I think is a terrible chapter. I hope it's not too bad. I felt like I had to establish Bruce's mindset in general before I went romantic, so this is basically an inner monologue of Bruce's thoughts. Bruce's POV about the "Hooked On A Feeling" singing and dancing is up next! **~Heather**

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Bruce liked Tony Stark. The man was a handful for sure, but Tony had amazing qualities that even Tony himself, the ever-arrogant narcissist, didn't know about. That, for one, is one of the common descriptors Bruce had an issue with. The arrogance Bruce had no problem with, for Tony was arrogant and rightly so. Could anyone else design the technology that Tony created so easily? No. Bruce's problem was with the supposed narcissism.

From Bruce's research about Tony Stark – everyone else knew Bruce's life story, why shouldn't he do some searching as well? – he could tell that Tony cared about other people besides himself. Maybe this wasn't obvious before his kidnapping and three month imprisonment in Afghanistan, but afterwards, how could people think Tony Stark was a narcissist? His first action after he arrived in the United States after three terrifying months was to hold a press conference and halt all weapons production for Stark Industries. Bruce could tell from Tony's face in the videos that he was resolute in his decision. The tension in his jaw, the firmness of his stance told Bruce that in that moment, Tony stood strong against the expectations of others in order to prevent more violence and bloodshed. Removing the weapons productions from Stark Industries – or at least threatening, since Obadiah didn't allow Tony to actually stop it – hurt Stark Industries' stock. There Tony was, standing for the people instead of his own wallet or those of his investors.

Every minute that Bruce has spent with Tony proves to him that the narcissism is either a mask or imagined by others. Tony didn't have to help S.H.I.E.L.D. search for the Tesseract, although by helping Tony was paid generously in his own personal currency: showing off time. The greater disproof of narcissism was in moments with Bruce. While all the others ignored his issue with The Other Guy and relatively ignored him in general, Tony was curious about him and observant. Tony had just met Bruce, and there he was, offering up his lab, out of the kindness of his heart, and, Bruce thinks, the desire to be around someone with a similar IQ. The inventor also wanted to know what made him tick, as shown by the electric shock Bruce received. Instead of annoying him, Bruce found it refreshing. Tony was quick on his feet with everything, including humor, and it wasn't difficult to feel at ease around Tony. It seemed Tony cared about his well-being, saying he needed to strut instead of tiptoe around. Tony was the only one who wanted to help Bruce with the Hulk, not by eradicating the Hulk or harnessing the Hulk's powers for his own schemes, but by helping him accept the Hulk as part of him. Tony Stark, who rarely confided in anyone, told him about his heart condition to try and empathize. His attempts were unsuccessful because how could Tony's condition compare to The Other Guy? But he wanted to let Bruce know that he could control it if he tried, that Bruce was lucky to be alive, that he was alive for a reason.

What reason could that be? To destroy? To crash the helicarrier? To kill Agent Romanoff and the other helpless people on board? How could he not be a monster when everything The Other Guy did was hurt people? But when Bruce regained consciousness after his transformation back into human form, his first thought was what Tony had said to him in the helicarrier lab. Well, actually it was more his fourth major thought, following "Damn it!", "where am I?", and his thoughts when dealing with the janitor. Bruce thought, maybe he could control and embrace The Hulk as part of him, maybe his life meant something, but then his doubts began to creep in again. Regardless, what Bruce knew for sure at the time was the smoke rising from Manhattan did not bode well – they needed him, they needed The Hulk. So he found a motorbike and rode to the city.

When Bruce arrived, Steve said out loud to Tony, "Stark, we got him. Just like you said." When Bruce asked Steve later what he meant, he told him had Tony asked if he had shown up at the battle yet and said, "Keep me posted." Tony, who was supposed to only care about himself, trusted Bruce and knew he would show up to help them. And Tony was right about accepting The Hulk. By transforming into The Other Guy at will, The Hulk understood slightly better who was friend and who was foe, depending on the strength of the bond with the person. The Hulk understood very well that Tony was a friend, that Tony cared about the Hulk and Bruce, to the point of catching Iron Man when he fell from the portal. Bruce can only remember bits and pieces of the battle, but that moment was the clearest. The Hulk couldn't let Iron Man fall to his death, he had to save him. Tony was the first person in a long time to befriend Bruce, and the first person ever, who cared about Bruce without fearing The Other Guy. The Hulk couldn't lose him.

All of these reasons are why Bruce vehemently believes that Tony isn't narcissistic. Tony doesn't care only about himself, he cares deeply about others, even though he doesn't like to broadcast it. In fact, it seems like Tony doesn't care about himself very much at all. How easy the decision was for him, to end his own life to save others. How many times would he put his life last on the list of priorities? He could have died when Pepper set off the self-destruct on the large arc reactor when battling Obadiah, but he risked his life anyways to bring Obadiah closer to the edge to kill him. And when a nuclear missile flew towards Manhattan, Tony Stark's first thought was to sacrifice his life by carrying the missile up into the portal, which should've been a one-way trip. In Bruce's mind, those who call Tony narcissistic don't know Tony very well.

After the battle, there was a feeling of camaraderie within The Avengers. They were all exhausted, though Bruce felt the most exhausted of all and the only Avenger who ate more shawarma than him was Thor, which was slightly disgusting to watch. Steve was the only one who didn't eat anything, mumbling something about American food. Having no place to stay and not wanting to risk being caged on the helicarrier (or almost destroying it again), Bruce accepted Tony's offer to stay the night in one of the many rooms in the damaged but still functional Stark Tower. In the end, Tony convinced Bruce to move with him to Malibu for an indefinite stay by a very effective persuasive measure: persistence. It really was exhausting and difficult to say no to Tony Stark. When Bruce accepted, he felt a rumble of pleasure from The Other Guy hidden and couldn't help but agree with The Hulk that he had finally given the right answer.

Bruce had his own bedroom, which was large enough to fit three of Bruce's last house. He was also given a ridiculously fancy car, though he tried to stay away from driving – he tends to get terrible road rage, which can be a slight problem. As for the lab, Tony gave him all the equipment he could ever need and then some. All of Tony's own designs were so brilliant, Bruce felt honored to use the inventions (and extremely nerdy because he was so excited to run all sorts of tests with those beautiful machines).

He saw the smile Tony gave him after presenting the equipment. He also remembers the spring in Tony's step after Bruce finally said yes to staying in Malibu. For some reason, every time Tony smiled, Bruce felt happy too. Yes, Bruce liked Tony Stark.


	3. When The Heart Threatens

**AN: **I'm sorry for keeping you waiting! Being sick drains the inspiration. I hope you all enjoy this! I can't believe how many Story Alerts/Favorites I got for this! You are all amazing and I love you deeply and forever :) Tony's dancing I took from the Youtube video ending with this: /watch?v=UPGPPqYl_eo. It's bad quality, but still awesome! **~Heather**

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Some people might believe that jamming out to music while researching in a lab takes attention away from the task at hand. For Bruce, listening to music in the lab was a distraction, but not from his research. No, the music was a very helpful distraction indeed from Bruce's growing admiration for Tony. All of Tony.

Tony was an enigma, or rather...it was complicated. In truth, he was a mystery, but nobody perceived him that way. Everybody thought they could see right through Tony Stark. He was a self-centered ladies man who was blessed with genius and inheritance. Tony's real personality and motivations were enigmas to world in general, but not to Bruce. Tony was sharp wit, incredible genius and resourcefulness, kindness, and good looks (wait…what?) all rolled into one person. He was tortured, constantly pushing to prove himself worthy of his father's name, of his gift of life, of his genius. Little did Tony know that in Bruce's eyes, he didn't have to prove anything.

The music was useful in distracting Bruce from his fascination with Tony's incredible intellect. Because really, the way Tony could talk to JARVIS, make calculations and assessments in his head, perform the manual labor required, and manipulate the holographic projections at the same time was amazing. When Bruce could zone out into the music and his experiments, he could resist watching Tony work. Though, Tony bobbing his head while rocking out to "Crazy Train" by Black Sabbath, while still managing to design a more efficient arc reactor prototype to power the Chrysler Building, was really not helping to tune Tony out.

Sometimes, Bruce caught himself staring and couldn't figure out why. This is what he meant by admiring all of Tony. Did Tony really have to wear such tight shirts, often without sleeves? Seriously, was he trying to give Bruce a heart attack? And why did he feel like he was going to have a heart attack anyways? Was it normal to think these thoughts about the man who is becoming your best friend? Bruce likes girls – liked girls. That was back when he could get involved in relationships. That was back when Betty was the love of Bruce's life. Betty had married two years ago. She had always wanted a family, and Bruce could never deny her happiness. After awhile, Bruce had moved on from pining about what was and what couldn't be. Bruce was happy that she was happy, and that he wasn't around to hurt her anymore. The Hulk prevented him from being safe to love anyone.

Anyways, the point is, Bruce liked girls, right? Wrong. Oh, so very wrong.

Stuck in his racing thoughts before, Bruce hadn't noticed the playlist had ended. He was pulled abruptly from his thoughts when Tony began to hum a song softly. The sound was so relaxed, carefree, and _vulnerable_; it sent a shiver down Bruce's spine. Bruce glanced up at Tony, his glasses slipping down his nose as he stared at Tony unknowingly swaying slightly to his own humming. The combination of the sight and the recognition of the song made Bruce laugh. "Hooked On A Feeling"? Talk about an uncharacteristic style of song for Tony Stark!

Tony, interrupted from his own musings, turned to Bruce, asking, "What?"

The lack of embarrassment or recognition on face made Bruce laugh more. "I bet Tony didn't even know he was humming!" Bruce wagered internally.

"No, I didn't realize. Why, did you like it?" Tony sinfully waggled his eyebrows before humming the song from the beginning.

"Damn you, Stark!" Bruce thought, insides squirming at the joking flirtation. Because he did enjoy it. Why was this all so confusing?

The song was catchy, and Bruce found himself humming along and then they began singing together. When Tony got the lyrics wrong, Bruce didn't care. All he could do was smile. Tony's voice was beautiful, and even more importantly, Bruce kept realizing how much his friendship with Tony was a blessing. When was the last time he had a colleague or a friend? When was the last time he sang? When was the last time he danced? Before the accident. So when JARVIS asked if the song should be added to the playlist, Bruce said, "I think you must."

Bruce thinks he must because he may forget this moment when he was normal, when he had a friend, when he had a reason to laugh. But then Tony eagerly spoke, "Play it for us too, JARVIS." Maybe Bruce wouldn't have a chance to forget, not with Tony around.

Bruce relaxed and danced, belting the song at the top of his lungs. It was exhilarating, being this silly with Tony, as they sang the song again and again, the dancing increasing in confidence and craziness.

Tony was doing some kind of strange tap dance, looking like a poor but adorable excuse for a river dancer. His arms were swaying side to side, but not nearly as much as his ass was. Bruce tried not to ogle it while Tony was shaking his ass to the beat in those perfectly tailored pants. Tony's dancing had at least some kind of groove to it. Bruce's dancing was much more awkward. Hey, he was a physicist! It was to be expected. His arms were the more active part of his body, arms in the air, head bobbing from side to side. He didn't care. The only thing he cared about was that the joy he was feeling was matched on Tony's face.

They danced, and sang, and laughed until they couldn't anymore and they fell onto the couch together. Once again, Bruce's heart swelled with happiness. "Oh, I haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

His heart was thudding in his chest from the exercise, but he was in no danger of transforming into The Other Guy. Bruce's heart rate wasn't really the issue anyways, it was his anger that truly changed him, or when he felt threatened.

Bruce glanced over at Tony when he said, "Me neither," finally noticing how close they were to each other, and that Tony was deep in thought. They really were so close. Tony's left leg was pressed tightly against his own leg and if Bruce leaned just slightly to his right, he would brush shoulders with Tony. Suddenly, Tony turned to Bruce and stared him straight in the face, his eyes incomprehensible with some deep emotion. Bruce felt locked in place, and then like he was being tugged by the gravitational pull in Tony's eyes. Mouth suddenly dry, Bruce licked his lips and his eyes slipped down to glance at Tony's lips. The close proximity, the odd look in Tony's eyes, the feelings that were finally starting to make sense were getting to Bruce. He began to feel unsure and scared, and to The Other Guy, that meant Bruce felt threatened. Bruce felt the Hulk stir inside of him. "I have to get out of here!" Bruce thought, quickly getting up and saying to Tony as he half-ran, half-walked to the door, "I have to go!"


	4. Black, White, and Waterfalls

**AN: **You are all amazing people! Thank you for the alerts, favorites, and reviews! They mean so much to me. I could've finished this story quickly, but I like dragging it out a little to give it more depth. Don't worry, it won't be UST for much longer :) I hope you enjoy! **~Heather**

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"What just happened?" Tony thought, blinking at Bruce's sudden departure.

When Tony realized he might be falling for Bruce, he had looked over at Bruce to find him staring. Right then, his suspicions were confirmed. Oh, Tony had it bad. The doctor's mouth was slightly open through which he was taking even, quiet breaths. His characteristic curl was hanging lower on his forehead than usual, just asking to be swept back into place by Tony's hand. Tony loved Bruce's glasses, but seeing him this close without them on felt _intimate_. And damn, his eyes were the deepest brown. The intimacy of the situation increased when Bruce suddenly licked his lips. Tony suppressed a gulp and the desire to lean forward and capture those plump lips with his own. Then there was a flick of Bruce's eyes, a glance, and suddenly he had left, calling, "I have to go!" back to Tony.

"What just happened?" Tony repeated, this time out loud. Then, in his head, "Did…did Bruce look at my mouth? Was I drooling?" He touched his lips just to check. "Was he…did he want to kiss me?" With that thought, Tony came out of his reverie and remembered that Bruce left in a hurry. He rushed after him, asking JARVIS along the way, "JARVIS, where did Dr. Banner go?"

"Sir, Dr. Banner is almost to the Green Room. It appears a situation is developing."

"Thank you, JARVIS." Tony changed his course to head to the Green Room. He was unconcerned about the arrival of The Hulk because he had finished the room about a week ago. The Green Room was a place for The Hulk to hang out without destroying all of Malibu. Tony was extremely proud of his design. Unlike a cage, the room was cavernous, exceedingly large enough for the Hulk to move around in. The Green Room was in the sub-basement of the mansion. The walls and floors were reinforced with a metal and concrete combination Tony had synthesized. From his research compiled on the Hulk's strength, he was able to determine the thickness and composition required to withstand even the fiercest Hulk smash. The room had a vast assortment of boulders, weights, ropes, and even trees for the Hulk to play with. With Tony's fortune, he could easily supply the Hulk with anything he wanted. The Green Room even had its own waterfall, for goodness sakes! Tony really wanted The Other Guy to feel at home instead of caged, and it was his fervent hope that ensuring a safe environment would prevent Bruce from ever having to leave.

Tony exited the elevator, finding Bruce's shirt and shoes discarded right outside the elevator doors. He didn't see any pants, so he assumed correctly that The Hulk was wearing them. Entering in the code, Tony fearlessly walked into the Green Room to see the Hulk sitting on the ground examining a boulder. It was an odd sight really, the enormous green rage monster simply sitting on the reinforced concrete with his legs sprawled out in front of him, large green muscled arms supporting the boulder, head bent with eyes peering at the massive rock.

"Hey there, Hulk." Tony said, smiling at the sight. "What's wrong?"

The Hulk huffed and set the boulder down on the ground, which emitted a loud thud. "Bruce think too much."

"He thinks too much? Why would you have to protect him from thinking?" Tony asked, his face puzzled, brow furrowing.

"Hulk won't say."

"Why n –," Tony began, but shook his head instead. "Okay, that's alright. Well, is everything okay? Is there anything I can do?" Tony was growing concerned.

"Don't worry, no-metal Metal Man. Bruce okay. Hulk okay."

"You can call me Tony when I'm not in the suit. When I'm in the suit, you can call me either Tony or Iron Man, sound good?"

"Tony," the Hulk said, as if tasting the name. His head swung from side to side, examining the décor of the room. "Hulk like it here."

Tony, busy pondering what Bruce could have been thinking about, was pulled out of his thoughts and remembered his former excitement to show The Hulk the place, which came rushing back in at The Hulk's words. "I'm really glad you like it. I'd hoped you would!" Tony then proudly launched into a detailed explanation of how everything worked and where he got his inspiration from.

When Tony began to get too technical, The Hulk tuned him out. Bruce did think too much. The Hulk saw most things in black and white. Good person, don't smash. Bad person, smash! Puny god with black hair, bad, smash! Slightly less puny god with hammer, good, don't smash. The Hulk could either like Tony or dislike Tony. Simple black and white. Why did Bruce have such complicated feelings towards Tony? The Hulk snorted at Bruce's indecision. Bruce should adopt the Hulk's thinking! He hadn't told Tony what Bruce was conflicted about because Bruce didn't want Tony to know so badly that the feeling bled over into him. The Hulk was extremely protective of Bruce, so he kept his secret.

By this time, Tony had wandered over to the waterfall, which was inactive.

" – turbines. Here, look, I'll show you!" Tony rambled gleefully. The Hulk watched as Tony stomped on a tiny rock (which was actually five feet across and not so tiny to Tony). Water came rushing down, forming a large waterfall which surged into a river, ending in a pool. The water would drain from the pool and be recycled back into the waterfall.

"You can play in the waterfall, or bath in the pool, or walk in the river! Whatever you like, big guy!"

The Hulk roared his satisfaction and thudded over to the waterfall, immediately immersing himself in the spray.

Tony chuckled. The water rebounded off of Hulk's broad shoulders and his hair was flattened to his head. How could this incredibly strong green goliath look so adorable? "All you have to do to turn it on and off is to press this rock."

The Hulk grinned with happiness. No one had shown him this much kindness. Ever.

"Hulk like Tony."

For some reason, it made Tony blush to be so approved of by Bruce's alter ego. He also swelled with pride (this was so not good for the size of his ego!) because he was probably the first person besides Bruce that The Hulk liked. Tony beamed at The Hulk. "I like you too, Hulk." They smiled at each other for a few moments. Until Tony asked, "Should I leave you to enjoy the place?"

"Hulk happy here. Tony go. See Tony soon?"

"Yes, I'm sure you will. If you need me, just call my name. JARVIS will alert me. Bye Hulk!" Tony said, walking towards the exit.

"Bye Tony," Hulk grunted. He stayed there for about an hour, smashing boulders and enjoying the crash of the waterfall on his muscles. When he transformed back, Bruce remained in the Green Room for another couple of hours thinking.

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**AN: **I know, what an awful place to end a chapter! I plan on writing more tomorrow though, so don't worry!


	5. The Matter At Hand

**AN: **I'm amazed how many wonderful reviews I received for the last chapter! I'm so ecstatic that you all liked my Hulk/Tony dynamic :) Thank you everyone for reviewing, alerting, favoriting, and reading! I had so much fun writing this chapter. Basically, if Bruce spoke fangirl/fanboy/fanperson, he would be going ASLDKFJASLDFKJASLDFKJADSLF. I love this chapter, so I hope you all do too! And yes, it's another cliffhanger. I'm sorry! I will write again tomorrow night though, so don't worry! Many thanks and love to Brooke (Tumblr name: fortheloveofhulk) for helping me overcome my writer's block! Go follow her on Tumblr! ;D **~Heather**

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Bruce was slightly drained from his transformation into The Hulk. He didn't really want to see Tony just yet, so he may as well organize his thoughts and meditate on the matter at hand. Folding in his legs to sit Indian style, Bruce straightened his back, rested his hands palm up on his knees, and closed his eyes. This presented yet another image that showed how unique and strange Bruce and The Hulk were. Bruce was a man of middling height, usually possessing a calm disposition, and here he was contemplating, surrounded by smashed boulders, wearing only torn and overly loose pants. The steady trickle of water down the pool drain soothed Bruce.

Now, the matter at hand. Tony. Ever the scientist, Bruce thought through the issue in an organized fashion, one step at a time. He had an inkling that The Hulk wasn't very happy with this method, but right now it was his turn.

The first issue: Bruce's sexuality. He had always been with girls before. Could Bruce even be attracted to a man? Due to his many experiments with other cultures in order to find ways to calm The Hulk, the doctor was very open-minded and no longer traditional. But there haven't been any men that he ever felt attraction for. Except Tony. Bruce could no longer ignore it and sign it off as a side effect of a close friendship and working environment. For goodness sakes, he almost kissed Tony Stark! _Tony Stark! _Bruce's thoughts were approaching hysteria before he calmed down and returned to his process. So yes, Bruce could be attracted to a man. What did that make him? Gay? Bisexual? After cruelly being called a monster since the accident and a geek or nerd from the beginning of his life, Bruce did not like labels. It didn't matter the label, it mattered who Bruce cared about.

That led to the second issue: Besides attraction, what did Bruce feel for Tony? He cared for Tony, liked Tony, and empathized with Tony. He hurt when Tony hurt, he smiled when Tony smiled, chuckled softly whenever Tony gave that gorgeous laugh of his – the one where his eyes crinkled and he ducked his head a little, showing pure enjoyment in life. Bruce trusted Tony, which was extremely rare. Tony had only ever given Bruce reasons to admire and respect him. "Just face it, Banner, it's right in front of you," Bruce berated himself internally. "You love him." Bruce loved Tony.

If anyone had been watching the feed – Tony, for instance, always sticking his nose in – they would have seen the statue's calm face suddenly break into the broadest smile. The doctor had never felt so at peace since the accident. It felt right to love Tony. It felt amazing to admit to himself how strong his admiration for Tony was, how deeply his feelings ran.

He had to let him know. Bruce almost sprung to his feet to leave, but hesitated. In his excitement, he had almost forgotten issue number three.

What does Tony feel? Tony was a famous ladies man, had he been with men before? Was Tony Stark even attracted to men? The remembrance of Tony's eyes came to Bruce then. What was Tony thinking? What emotion had made his gaze so intense? He couldn't know the answers without more evidence, so it was useless sitting here thinking about it anymore.

"Just kiss him, and when Tony dislikes it, pretend it was an experiment or something," Bruce contemplated. He knew Tony wouldn't tease him like he would tease the others, and he bet Tony was used to being kissed by people anyways, being a playboy. If Tony liked it…well, that was doubtful. "If he did though," Bruce thought, "I guess I would play it off like it was less than it was because I can't be in a relationship. I just can't risk hurting anyone like that. But I have to do something! I can't keep The Hulk from being unleashed with all this unresolved tension. The Other Guy won't let me be indecisive anymore."

"Great plan, Banner," Bruce scoffed out loud.

He took a deep breath and picked himself up off the floor, rolling his shoulders back and starting a determined pace towards the exit. When he got to the elevator, he picked up his clothes and put his shirt back on while going up the lift.

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Tony was indeed watching the feed. At first, he just wanted to ascertain if The Hulk was enjoying the Green Room in his absence. From the footage, Tony deemed the room a huge success, while jotting down some ideas for improvement and additions. He assumed Bruce would come back up to the lab or retire to his room when he came back to himself, but was intrigued when Bruce stayed there, seemingly meditating. Hey, who can blame the man for curiosity? Tony was still concerned about Bruce. Maybe he could get some clues as to what was occupying Bruce's thoughts.

The doctor remained eerily still for over an hour. Thankfully, Tony could see the slight rise and fall of Bruce's breathing which reassured him that he was still alive. The inventor shuddered to think of staying still for that long. While watching the feed, Tony was also busy working on three projects at once. When Bruce suddenly smiled the happiest smile Tony had ever seen on the man, his focus was drawn solely to the video feed. If Tony wasn't so determined not to act like a lovesick girl, he would've said his heart melted at the sight of Bruce's face. The doctor's arms twitched like he was about to get up.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed, still slightly disturbed by Bruce's ability to remain still. But then, Bruce kept sitting for another twenty minutes! Tony was interrupted from his work again when Bruce said disdainfully on the video feed, "Great plan, Banner." The doctor then stood and walked to the exit of the Green Room.

"Plan? What plan?" Tony thought. He turned back to his work, while thinking of all the different plans Bruce could have concocted. Was Bruce leaving and had to plan how to say goodbye? Or was this all simply about an experiment? Tony didn't have long to think.

The door to the lab opened and Tony turned to see Bruce walking through the door. His hair was in disarray, the top two buttons of his purple shirt undone, and the buttons were in the wrong holes. The look on his face was resolute, intense, and something else that Tony couldn't name – tender, perhaps? All Tony could think was how adorable and sexy Bruce looked before Bruce strode right up to Tony and reached up his hand to the nape of Tony's neck, fingers tangling in his brown hair. With one swift motion, Bruce pulled Tony's face down and kissed him.


	6. The Kiss

**AN: **I know you all hate me so much for making you wait :( I'm so sorry. This stupid thing called real life caught up with me. I also really struggled with this chapter. I didn't want to make it too sappy, but I failed. It's very sappy! It's also shorter than usual. And this chapter is mostly PWP. Next chapter will be my first attempt at le sexy times, so I'm terrified. Thank you all for your kind reviews! I hope you all enjoy this chapter **~Heather**

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Tony's brain malfunctioned.

His mind surrendered control to his heart and his body. A mere second had passed since Bruce's lips touched his when he began to react. Tony softly pressed his lips back to the doctor's. The instant Bruce's mouth was upon his, Tony closed his eyes, reveling in the warmth of the other's full lips, which were softer than he had imagined. Abruptly dropping the wrench he was holding onto the workbench, his hand found Bruce's waist. Their lips met briefly several times, sweetly and chaste, perfectly delineating to themselves how much more this meant than simple attraction. Bruce broke the kiss, his hand sliding slowly out of Tony's hair and down his neck to his shoulder. He couldn't look away from Tony, but also couldn't look him in the eyes, afraid of Tony's reaction.

"Bruce," Tony murmured, low voice full of passion and wonder. This was the last thing he expected the extremely shy doctor to do, but now that Bruce had kissed him, he realized it first on his list of what he wanted. More than anything, he wanted Bruce. Tony needed Bruce's friendship, had to see him smiling and hear him laughing, craved him working by his side with that intelligent brain of his, wanted to share everything with Bruce, yearned for Bruce to rely on him with anything, and wished for Bruce to stay with him always. He was not falling in love with Dr. Bruce Banner. He had already fallen, far too deeply to climb out.

"I -" Bruce began to unwillingly explain away the kiss as nothing, when it actually meant so much to Bruce that his heart ached. Tony cut him off by caressing Bruce's cheek with his fingertips and leaning down to passionately kiss him. The hand that was located on Bruce's waist pulled tightly and drew him closer so his body was pressed fully against Tony. The motion caused a surge of desire to flow through Bruce and he felt like his body growled internally in response.

There were reasons why Bruce couldn't be in a relationship, many reasons that Bruce had rationalized prior to kissing Tony. But as the inventor continued to kiss him breathless, all of his reasons flew away. His indecision and barriers gone, Bruce opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. Tony could feel the exact moment when Bruce made his decision to not turn back. When Bruce opened his mouth with such vulnerability, Tony had to suppress the shiver that threatened to run down his spine. He quickly obliged by sweeping his tongue along Bruce's bottom lip, then entering his mouth to tangle with Bruce's tongue.

Lips pressed against each other again and again, tongues dancing, hands tangling in hair and brushing against skin, lungs gasping for breath in between kisses. Tony bit down on Bruce's bottom lip, causing Bruce to gasp, "Tony". At the sound of the doctor's voice saying his name so sensuously, Tony claimed Bruce's mouth with even more passion. The evidence of their desire could be easily felt by both parties since their bodies were pressed so firmly together. Bruce began to feel weak with need and nibbled at Tony's lips, this time resulting in a shiver from Tony. Uncharacteristically, Tony was the first to pull away, breathing heavily, his eyes slightly dazed. Bruce was mortified when he released a soft whimper, his whole being begging for a return to their former activity.

"Hi," Tony said happily, before softly kissing Bruce again.

"Um…hello," Bruce replied, his face flushed from embarrassment and kissing.

"Is this what you were thinking about earlier?" Tony asked, searching Bruce's eyes for answers and for one emotion he desired more than anything. Tony knew too well what it was like to have one's love feel unreturned, and he feared that would happen with Bruce.

But when Bruce looked up at him and nodded, Tony realized regardless of whether Bruce felt the same love, he wanted Bruce to know that he cared for him. Bruce could never be loved enough, had never been loved enough by the people in this world, and Tony would not hold back what Bruce so deserved to hear.

"I love you," Tony confessed.

Bruce's eyes widened in shock, but then he smiled, his expression eclipsing the pure joy that was present in the smile from the video feed. However happy he felt when he discovered that he loved Tony was nothing compared to the sensation of being loved by the person you love. Bruce kissed Tony then, pouring all of his bliss and love into the frenzy of lips, tongues, and teeth.

When Bruce pulled away, he gazed at Tony, now looking disheveled with swollen lips and tousled hair. "I love you, Tony."

Nothing on Earth could compare to that moment for Tony Stark. In all of his life, it was probably only the second time that someone had told him they loved him and meant it. The only other person had been his mother. His father may have loved him, but never told Tony in so many words. And here Bruce was, in Tony's opinion a far better person than himself, telling him that he loved him. Tony had no idea how he managed to make Bruce fall in love with him, but there was no way he would stand there thinking when he had much better things to do.


	7. Rhythm Synchronized

**AN: **I'm hoping you don't all hate me forever for making you wait so long! Maybe this extra long chapter will make up for it :) I stayed up all night writing this, so there might be some typos! Let me know if there are any :D This is the scene we have all been waiting for and also my first love scene. I hope it is good, accurate, and that you enjoy it! I love you all for the story and author alerts/favorites and the reviews! They help motivate me to write! Please let me know where you want this story to go after this. Epilogue? More smut? More fluff? More Hulk? Or leave it as is? **~Heather**

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Tony kissed Bruce again softly, the kiss increasing in strength as he backed the doctor up against the lab bench. Bruce clumsily stumbled backwards, still amazed that Tony Stark was kissing him, especially since he had only realized his affections for the man so recently. His thoughts were interrupted when Tony's pelvis pressed against his at the same time as his lower back connected with the edge of the lab bench. When Tony released his lips and began kissing his neck, Bruce lowered his hands to Tony's hips, trying to keep himself standing.

The inventor kissed Bruce's pulse point, following up the tender ministration with a flick of his tongue. Tony threaded his fingers in Bruce's hair, gently pulling his head to expose more of his neck. Bruce's breath caught momentarily, but then he freed the breath in one swift exhale, his breathing rate quickening. Suddenly, between wet kisses up and down Bruce's neck, Tony spoke.

"Why? Why would you love me?" Tony's voice was low, weighted down by his usually hidden insecurity.

Bruce moved his head back and untangled the hand from his hair. "Tony," Bruce replied, "I thought about this, I thought for hours and I couldn't come up with one reason why I wouldn't love you. There are many reasons why I feel the way I do and no reasons to not love you. Except maybe how you drink all of the coffee because you never sleep. Or the way you brag about- "

Tony cut him off with another searing kiss.

"Does that mean you believe me?" Bruce asked, laughing lightly. Tony ignored him, stealing some of Bruce's breath with his tongue tangling in his mouth and snatching the rest when Tony's deft fingers began to unbutton Bruce's shirt.

"Why did you have to wear the purple button-down? Are you trying to kill me?" Tony muttered. Damn Bruce and his sexy purple shirt of sex! As each button was unfastened, Tony lavished a kiss on the exposed skin, resulting in a sharp intake of breath from Bruce and a shuddering exhale. The inventor was slightly surprised at the doctor's muscle tone, he knew The Hulk was a goliath with immense strength, but Bruce he pegged as the scrawnier type. The physicist's strong chest was covered with dark hair, which only added to the sexy masculinity that Bruce exuded. Tony sank down to reach each button, ending up on his knees before Bruce. The last kiss after the final button finally drew a moan from Bruce, deep and cracked, as if the man hadn't made that sound in a long time, which in fact, he hadn't.

"Tony."

"Mmm?" Tony responded, humming against Bruce's skin.

"Tony…I shouldn't…_we _shouldn't…I can't. I'll hurt you! I can't control myself…I'm sorry."

"You have a better handle on controlling the transformation, maybe you can do this now. Plus, I think the Hulk likes me so much, he won't bother us. I have safety measures – The Green Room is one. I can get JARVIS to fly my suit to me within seconds and I can put it on, even if I am naked." Bruce looked amused but unconvinced, even when Tony winked saucily at him. The doctor also felt a lurch in his gut at the thought of Tony naked, exposed and ready for him. He wanted this so badly, but though Tony so easily placed trust in him, he didn't place as much trust in himself and he shouldn't risk Tony's life.

"Please? I _want_ you," Tony pleaded with impressive skill, but also with sincerity.

"Fuck." It was the sincerity that got to him, also possibly the erection straining to be released from his pants, even though the pants were several sizes too big. "Alright, Tony…we can try. But if I even feel close to becoming The Other Guy, we have to stop."

Tony smiled cheekily up at Bruce, then starting to kiss Bruce on his lower abdomen again.

"But not here! Not here!" Bruce gasped, when Tony's teeth grazed his skin.

Tony stood quickly and grabbed Bruce's hand. "Come with me."

They exited the lab together, Tony eagerly pulling Bruce along by the hand until they came to Tony's room. Bruce had never been in the room and barely had time to notice anything other than the largest bed he had ever seen against the furthest wall before Tony wrapped him up in a kiss, pushing Bruce's unbuttoned shirt off of his shoulders. Finally having ridded Bruce's torso of the unnecessary clothing, Tony ran his nails down his chest from collarbone to groin, earning a hiss from Bruce. His eagerness only increasing, Tony practically dragged Bruce to the bed and sat on it, positioning Bruce to stand in front of him.

Bruce was feeling unfairly overexposed and impatient, so he reached down to the hem of Tony's shirt and pulled the Black Sabbath shirt over Tony's head and off his arms. Underneath the T-shirt was another shirt, dark and long-sleeved. Bruce quickly removed it, only to find another shirt beneath, a black wife-beater. The arc reactor was shining brightly through the fabric.

"Why do you wear so many layers?"

Tony glanced briefly at the arc reactor in his chest, before quickly looking away. Bruce had his answer from Tony's subconscious response. His heart swelled in his chest, realizing that Tony was either ashamed or embarrassed about his weakness, or both. Bruce kissed Tony's neck now, while slipping his fingers under the shirt, rubbing the warm skin. Continuing his attentions to the man's neck, Bruce slowly pulled the last shirt off, sweeping his hands over the skin of Tony's back.

As vital as the arc reactor was in keeping him alive, Tony was irrationally ashamed by the vulnerability of his body. He was embarrassed to have a weakness and a deformity. It didn't help that the device disgusted Pepper, who always tried to keep her distance from it, even during sex when they were dating. So what happened next blew Tony away. Bruce gently pushed him back onto the bed, bringing his knee up between Tony's thighs and bracing his arms on either side of Tony's body. He shifted onto one hand so he could use his other hand to trace the edge of the arc reactor. Bruce smoothed his hand over the skin of Tony's chest and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. Pulling back, he kissed the arc reactor softly with reverence. Tony gasped with shock at the loving touch. Then Bruce kissed the skin surrounding the arc reactor four times, like the points of a compass.

"Bruce," Tony whispered desperately, too full of emotion and need to say anything more. The doctor stood again and Tony leaned back up into a sitting position, his hands reaching for the Bruce's pants. He unbuttoned his pants and swiftly unzipped the fly, which allowed Bruce some relief from his constriction problem. Tony pushed the now loose pants down over Bruce's backside until they fell to the ground. He ran his palms over the part of the muscular thighs that were now exposed. Bruce was wearing boxer briefs that were almost entirely ripped to shreds by The Hulk's appearance earlier. Tony laughed before sobering when he slipped his fingers in the waistband and removed the tattered fabric swiftly. Stepping out of his clothes self-consciously, Bruce shivered when Tony suddenly exhaled a warm breath on his groin. When Tony took him in his hand, Bruce released a quiet groan. He was sensitive from going so long without any stimulation that even the rough touch of Tony's palm against the skin of his penis felt like pure heaven. The exquisite torture only intensified when Tony ran his thumb along the vein on the underside of his erection.

Bruce grabbed his arm to make him stand up in front of him, his own hands going directly to Tony's neglected button and zipper. Unfastened, both pants and underwear were discarded in one hurried pull by Bruce's impatient hands. Tony stepped out of his pants and removed his socks just in time for Bruce to press his body flush against Tony, naked flesh meeting naked flesh, heat battling heat, save for the refreshing cool of the metal encased in Tony's chest. They kissed feverishly, passionately, hands roaming, nails scratching against skin. Releasing each other, again Tony drew Bruce to his bed, this time lying down upon it.

They let their hands and lips travel undiscovered skin, attempting to find each other's sensitive spots. So far, Bruce's: neck, nipples, and his lower back. Tony's: ears, the skin around his arc reactor, and just above his hipbones. Bruce had yet to fear The Hulk coming to the surface, which was odd, since the last time he engaged in any sexual activity, it was making out with Betty, and that had made him almost transform. Maybe Tony was right and The Hulk would let them have this for themselves. Bruce desperately hoped so because he had never felt so aroused in his entire life. His mind clouded with desire and love, he was ready to risk "hulking out". He was ready to try.

"Do you have any…? I'm sorry, it's been a long time and I didn't expect this to happen," Bruce asked nervously.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, I got…distracted." Tony winked and slipped out of bed, heading over to a desk.

Tony had to search for a minute in order to find any lubricant. While searching, Tony admitted embarrassedly, "It has been awhile for me too, though I'm sure not nearly as long."

"Have you…have you ever…been with a man?" Bruce flushed deeply at his question, but he was extremely curious.

"Um…no, I haven't. I've had opportunities, but, um…I never wanted to before. Have you?" Tony stammered, which was very unlike him.

"No, never."

Tony brightened slightly at that, "It's like we are born again virgins in a sense, yeah?"

Bruce laughed, "I guess so."

"Found it!" Tony exclaimed excitedly. He climbed back onto the bed and placed the bottle and packet beside him, kissing Bruce.

Bruce reached for the bottle of lubricant, pouring a small amount onto his hand. Assuming he would be the submissive one, he began to reach down to his entrance, but Tony caught his hand.

"No, Bruce." Tony looked earnestly at him. "I want you to take me. At least this time…If you want to, that is."

For Tony Stark to give up the power was amazing. He was his own man and didn't give up control to anybody else, often going off on his own to tackle foes that were supposed to be beyond his ability to defeat. It was also another testament of Tony's absolute trust in Bruce, that he trusted Bruce's love, gentleness, and control over his transformations so much that he would let the other man invade his body, bringing him both pleasure and pain.

"Please Bruce, take me."

Bruce kissed Tony wordlessly as Tony reclined onto his back and wrapped his legs around Bruce's torso. He added more lube to his finger before approaching Tony's entrance. With one hand resting on Tony's hipbone, Bruce hesitantly inserted his finger in Tony to the first knuckle. Tony squirmed a little as he tightened around his finger, but nodded for Bruce to continue when Bruce rubbed his thumb in a circle on Tony's hipbone. Slowly, Bruce introduced his finger completely into Tony. With Tony's encouragement, he stretched his entrance, starting with one finger, then two scissoring, then three. By the third finger, Tony was moaning wantonly, almost begging for Bruce to truly take him.

"I'm ready, Bruce." Tony panted, sweating from the foreplay.

Bruce poured lubricant onto his erection, and positioned himself to enter Tony. He knew it was cheesy, but this was important to Bruce, and he always believed sex had a greater meaning than simply lust. So gazing down at the absurdly sexy man beneath him, he repeated what he had told Tony earlier.

"I love you."

Tony smiled. "I love you too, Bruce."

Bruce pushed into Tony, slowly but constantly, knowing prolonging the feeling by stopping would not help. Tony moaned at the feeling, the slight pleasure he already felt and the pain that he surprisingly didn't quite mind overcome by the knowledge that he was having sex with Dr. Bruce Banner. The moan that escaped Tony's lips combined with the excruciating, blissful tightness of Tony around his erection caused Bruce to groan loudly. Fully encased in Tony, Bruce held there, kissing Tony passionately on the lips, then nibbling on his earlobe, allowing Tony to relax around him.

Tony signaled him to continue by running his hands down Bruce's back and tightening his legs around him. The physicist pulled himself almost fully out of Tony's body, thrusting back in to the hilt. Changing the angle slightly, Bruce thrust into Tony again. He continued changing the angle with each thrust until he brushed against Tony's prostate. Tony's cry in response hardened Bruce's erection even further – the sound was so uninhibited. The noises Tony started to make while Bruce moved in him were a mix of satisfied moans and whimpers that sounded almost like a wounded animal, but were truly ecstasy. Bruce was often silent, but the passion in Tony's face and the delicious friction drew occasional deep groans, amidst a mantra of Tony's name.

They moved with each other, Bruce's thrusts met by Tony, pushing upwards towards him. Their rhythm synchronized. Kisses became messier and soft caresses became desperate clutches at each other's skin, gripping tight for fear of simply ceasing to exist from the feeling of it all. Tony bit down hard on Bruce's collarbone as Bruce stroked him faster in time with his thrusts. The edge was so close. The physicist pounded into Tony, bringing him closer. Bending his head down again, Bruce placed a kiss to the skin around the arc reactor again, then to Tony's lips. Tony climaxed in that moment, eyesight failing him, every nerve ending on fire, white hot with pleasure. He yelled out, "Oh, Bruce!" as he tightened around Bruce's erection. Bruce had been extremely close already, so he was a goner when Tony burst out his name in ecstasy and clamped around him like a vise. His orgasm equaled Tony's in intensity, if it didn't surpass it. He murmured Tony's name while the flashes of light blinded him, his muscles clenching, his body shaking with spasms before he collapsed onto Tony.

After a few seconds, Bruce rolled out of and off of Tony, who hummed at the loss and blindly reached for one of his T-shirts to clean up the mess. Tony remained on his back, his left arm bent up against the pillow, palm upwards. Bruce curled up on his side facing Tony and fumbled for Tony's hand, finding it and holding it with his left hand. A minute passed until they regained their sight and several had to pass before they could breathe normally again. Finally, Tony turned towards Bruce, looking fondly at the utterly spent man lying next to him.

"That was…amazing." Bruce said, sighing at his inability to describe it with justice.

"The best…ever…ever," Tony slurred, his words spoken tiredly.

"Me too, Tony. Oh God yes, me too."

Both meant to say more, but their mouths wouldn't cooperate. Their eyes drifted shut and their bodies floated into a deep sleep, hands still lightly touching.


	8. Interrupted Breakfast

**AN: **I'm really an awful person because I made you all wait so long. I am so sorry :( I had terrible writer's block and was discouraged at the lack of response to another fic I had written. Thank you all so much for your reviews/favorites/alerts. They tell me I should be writing! I love you all. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. **~Heather**

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Bruce woke first. He always had been an early riser in order to give himself more time in the day. For a time, building a strict schedule seemed to keep the Hulk at bay, and even now the old habit dies hard. Inhaling a deep breath through his nose, Bruce rolled over to face the middle of the bed. Taking in the sight of Tony's sleeping form, he smiled lazily.

The billionaire slept strangely. Bruce couldn't understand how it could be comfortable. Tony sprawled on his stomach, one arm slightly bent under the pillow, the other stretched straight out above his head. The doctor's shoulders ached just thinking about it. Tony breathed softly through an open mouth, his eyes closed, long eyelashes dark against his skin.

This was good, Bruce thought. Yes, he could do this for a long time, the Other Guy permitting. And the sex: Wow, just wow. Bruce had never been so thoroughly satisfied before. Coming back from his reverie, he felt like getting out of bed, but didn't want Tony to wake up alone. Bruce didn't know much about Tony's past liaisons, but he was pretty sure it was rare for Tony to allow people to see him in this way – rare for the bed guest to wake up and see Tony still sleeping there. He bet JARVIS was instructed to wake the playboy before his guests awoke so he could slip away and be done with them. So Bruce felt pretty special to see Tony asleep next to him. He lay there for a few minutes, rubbing his eyes awake. Impatience won in the end. He shifted closer and kissed the corner of the sleeping man's mouth, hoping it would wake Tony but still be construed as an accident.

His plan worked. As Bruce leaned back, Tony closed his mouth and slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," Bruce lied.

"Mhm," Tony mumbled skeptically. "Admit it, you missed me, _big guy_." He sleepily attempted to waggle his eyebrows. Of course his nickname would take on a new meaning after last night. Bruce hoped he could hide his blush if Tony used the name in front of the team.

"Even half asleep, you are full of innuendo."

"Yep. It's a habit. Makes life more exciting!"

Gesturing at Tony's position, Bruce asked, "Do you always sleep like that?"

Tony blinked at the non sequitur, then rolled onto his side.

"I used to sleep on my back, but uh…" Tony looked down and his hand twitched slightly towards his arc reactor.

"Oh." Obadiah. Bruce remembers barely holding back the Other Guy when JARVIS told him the story. It was natural for Tony to subconsciously and even consciously protect the only thing keeping him alive, the circle of light in his chest. Bruce lifted his arm and ran his hand down Tony's back before changing the subject.

"Do you want breakfast?"

"Sure, go ahead. Give me a minute."

Bruce began to sit up, but Tony grabbed his wrist.

"Wait!" He pulled Bruce down for a soft, lingering kiss.

"Okay, now you can leave." Tony released him and smirked as Bruce, who was motionless, his brain clouded.

Shaking his head to clear the fog, he smiled and slipped out of bed.

"Pants?" asked the naked doctor.

"Bottom drawer on the left."

"Thanks," he said as he pulled on a pair of blue pajama pants. He wasn't ignorant of Tony's eyes looking at him the whole time. Blushing slightly even after last night's activities, he headed to the kitchen.

Of course, Tony Stark would be the type of man with a Rube Goldberg machine to make breakfast. The series of contraptions fascinated both scientists, and they changed the setup every few days.

However, Bruce often enjoyed cooking his own food. After filling up a pot with water, he retrieved the eggs and placed three in to boil. Three more he cracked to begin making Tony's usual omelet. Four pieces of bread went in the toaster. He hadn't realized he'd memorized his roommate's usual.

He had just begun chopping the chives and tomatoes when Tony came into the kitchen. Sporting only his black pajama pants, Stark looked hot. Bed ruffled hair, shirtless, toned – Damn. From the look on Tony's face, Bruce could tell he was hungry – and not for the food. Tony raked his gaze from Bruce's stubble, to the hair on his lean chest, down his body to the floor. He continued his walk into the kitchen and stepped behind Bruce, wrapping his arms around the shorter man's torso. Bending his neck to the side, Tony nibbled on Bruce's ear before murmuring,

"Making me breakfast already? So whipped." He kissed a line down Bruce's neck.

"Tell that to the Other Guy. Green rage monster, remember? I think that makes me alpha male."

Tony growled lowly in his ear. "Oh, I can prove there are two alphas in this relationship." His arms drifted lower as he spoke.

"Sorry to interrupt, sirs, but Director Fury is on the line," JARVIS said placidly.

"We're not here!" Tony said quickly before Bruce responded, "Put him through, JARVIS, thank you."

Tony pouted. "Don't listen to him, JARVIS. I created y-"

"Mr. Stark." Fury's voice spoke seemingly from the ceiling. "Is Dr. Banner at hand?"

"Yes, I'm here, Director."

"Good. We have a situation in Chicago. You are needed immediately. We are sending a ship to pick you up. You will be briefed with the others on the helicarrier when you arrive. Ship ETA 15 minutes."

Though he seldom showed it, Tony took the Avengers Initiative very seriously. He damn well cared about this world and hoped to make a positive difference. There was no snark in his voice when he replied,

"We'll be ready."

"Good," Fury replied before the line disconnected.

"I guess we'll have to eat quickly," Bruce said. The food, which Bruce had been tending to for the duration of both conversations, was ready. Placing the food on two plates, Tony and Bruce sat on stool at the bar. They ate quickly in silence. After finishing the breakfast, the inventor ran downstairs to the lab to suit up. Bruce just stood awkwardly, waiting. He didn't need any special preparations.

Two minutes later, Tony flew through the open patio door with something in his metal hands. When he landed, his faceplate rose and he walked over to the doctor.

"I made these one night when I couldn't sleep. Thought they might come in handy." Tony proffered the items towards Bruce.

"Um, what is it?" he asked as he took the bundle.

"Hulk Pants!"

"Huh?"

"Well, that's just the prototype name. Since you'll be wearing them, you can name them, I guess. Plus, with the Other Guy's grammar, the name "Hulk Pants" just makes me think of a dog. Anyways, do you like them?"

"What do they do?" Bruce was a little confused.

"They stretch!" Tony grinned, giddy with pride. "As much as I _love_ seeing you naked – something I realized last night, 'cause really, damn Banner, you are something else. As much as I love it, I don't want anybody else to get the privilege."

Bruce blushed fiercely at the compliment. He had rarely been complimented on his looks in his lifetime. "This is…this is amazing. Thank you, Tony. You are a lifesaver and a genius." He pressed a kiss to Tony's lips, and Tony eagerly returned it, with tongue. The last part of what Tony said made Bruce pulled away after a few seconds.

"The others. Should we…what should we tell them? Do you…are we?" In his head, Bruce thought, Damn it, Banner, stop embarrassing yourself, you fool!

Tony smiled outwardly, but was hit with slight insecurity. "We're together, yeah?"

"Yes. I would like that, yes." Bruce said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Reassured, but noting Bruce's continued shyness, Tony continued. "I know I have a…a history. I wouldn't want people to think you were…one of them. Because you're not. Bruce, you know you're not, right?"

"Of course!" Bruce looked up at Tony again, smiling.

"So do you want to, I don't know. Tell them together later? After the battle, I mean. That we're together? Not the last night part so they know it's more?"

Bruce sighed with relief. "Okay, Tony. Thank you."

Tony smiled at Bruce just as the jet arrived.

"Let's go, big guy! Evil aliens to kill, or something!"

Bruce followed chuckling as they boarded the aircraft.

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**AN: **The rest of the Avengers will be in the next chapter. I want to take a vote about Coulson though. I know some people hate fix-its, so it is up to you whether Coulson is alive or dead. It doesn't make much of a difference for this fic, but it's a small detail. I don't want to enrage anyone by including or not including him! Anyways, vote in the reviews! Thanks for reading, and please tell me if I'm doing alright!


	9. Assemble

**AN: **I'm such a jerk for not updating. I'm really sorry! Most people said to keep Coulson alive, so I did :D It's not written in the story, but Loki escaped from Asgard and both he and Thor are on Midgard. Lots of Hulk love next chapter! I feel like this chapter is mainly a filler chapter, so bear with me. You are all awesome, amazing people and I love you for reading and reviewing! Your comments were really helpful for my writing and my spirit. **~Heather**

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The trip from Malibu to the Helicarrier's position somewhere above Kansas took awhile, though far shorter than a regular commercial flight thanks to some of Stark's advanced fighter jet technology. Bruce and Tony passed half the time in silence, the other half intermittent with their discussions about their research and inventions. They sat across from each other, Tony leaning back in his seat, Bruce angling forward, his elbows on his knees. To the crew on the ship, the atmosphere seemed as normal as ever. Only those paying extra attention would notice that Bruce was smiling more than usual. The fact that Tony wasn't hitting on any of the female crew was attributed to the seriousness of the attack in Chicago.

When they landed on the Helicarrier, Agent Romanoff was there to meet them.

"Stark, Dr. Banner."

"Hello Natasha," Bruce said smiling.

"Vixen," Tony grumbled cheekily. Natasha smiled in acknowledgement.

"Everyone else is here already. Come, Fury's waiting."

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Entering the conference room, Bruce took one of the available chairs. Tony stood next to Bruce, bracing his hands on the chair back in front of him. The Director was standing at the front of the room. Natasha sat down near Steve. Thor, as usual, was towering over the proceedings pensively, his hammer on the floor by his feet. Clint was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Barton?" Bruce asked. Natasha glanced upwards in response.

Clint poked his head down from the rafters and said, "Present!" Bruce chuckled. He was in an excellent mood today, even with the looming battle. Three guesses why, he thought, feeling Tony's strong presence beside him.

"Now to get you up to speed. A group of what appear to be an alien species are attacking Chicago. From our intel, it appears Loki is behind the attack, though he isn't actively participating. It's possible this is a diversion. Thor, do you know any reasons why Loki would need to distract us?"

"My brother's goals are no longer clear to me. I fear I was greatly mistaken in my perceptions of him. I realized he had truly changed when he stabbed the Son of Coul."

"Talking about me?" Agent Coulson walked into the room. "Sir, we have an important matter that requires your attention."

"Thank you, Agent. Avengers, form a plan of attack. You know what to do. Diversion or not, innocent people must be saved."

Everyone in the room smiled brightly to see Phil. Since his "death", the agent was Phil to all of them. Technically, Phil had died when Loki stabbed him in the back. The medical professionals called the time of death. But Fury would not allow it. He had pushed them aside and continued CPR. While the super soldier serum formula was unknown and had yet to be reproduced, there was some progress in regenerative science. Unbeknown to most, Agent Coulson had been one of the test subjects for regenerative healing. The regenerative serum did not work like Wolverine's abilities. It could not heal broken bones or stitch skin back together, but it did quicken the healing process by about ten percent. No, the important benefit that kept Coulson alive was its effect on blood cell generation. When needed, Phil's body could produce red blood cells, blood plasma, and platelets rapidly. Even while losing copious amounts of blood, his new blood cells were making up for the loss, shuttling much needed oxygen to his body and brain. Fury had relentlessly pumped Phil's heart, and finally, miraculously, the agent came back from the dead. Coulson remained in critical condition with a collapsed lung, but thankfully Loki had missed his heart. Fear of infection wasn't an issue because the serum also heightened Coulson's immune system.

When the Avengers were informed that Coulson wasn't dead, they didn't speak to Fury for a month, except for missions. However, the anger at being lied to was overcome with the joy of having Phil back. The team hadn't noticed how integral and important the agent was to each of them until he was gone. Phil was hardly ever alone in the hospital, as all the Avengers, agents, and friends came by to visit him. He was infuriated at Fury for ruining his cards, but was more grateful that Fury helped save his life and that his "death" spurred the Avengers into action and unity. Any anger and sadness about his Captain America cards was erased though when an awkward Steve Rogers dropped in to see him with a vintage set of the cards, all signed. Tony had found a perfect set and bought them. Steve thought it was the least he could do to finally sign the cards.

Once Phil and Fury left, Steve stood at the front of the room.

"The attackers have been engaging in both aerial and ground attacks. Barton, Stark, Thor - we're going to need you on the aerial attacks. Barton, we can drop you on a building of your choosing when we arrive. As for the ground attacks, I can draw those on the ground to me. Romanoff, you will be on the ground too. While I'm leading them to me, you can flank them, pick them off one by one. Dr. Banner, you have free reign, of course."

Bruce nodded.

Steve continued, "We don't have to focus on crowd control or evacuation. It seems since the invasion in New York, cities have enacted their own evacuation plans. That's a relief for us. Hopefully that will keep the citizens out of harm's way. Is everything clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, good. Suit up."

While everyone else got ready, Bruce went to the bathroom to change into the special Hulk pants. As soon as he put them on, he heard a knock at the door.

"Bruce?" It was Tony. Bruce opened the door and Tony slipped in quickly, shutting the door behind him. The billionaire looked him over with an appraising eye.

"Hmm, good fit." Tony smirked. It was a rather odd sight, the two of them in the small bathroom. Tony was wearing his Mark VII, his helmet he held in his left metal hand. Bruce stood there wearing a button-down shirt and his new pants, which were a shade of dark purple.

"Thanks," Bruce murmured, still shy with the flirtatious attention. "What's up?"

"This," Tony said, leaning forward to capture Bruce's lips with his own in a slow kiss. He pulled away to look at Bruce. "I love you." He seemed different, as if he was saving this moment, tying up loose ends.

"I love you too, Tony. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Just never know what might happen," Tony said, nonchalantly.

Suddenly, Bruce thought about the last invasion, and how Tony had almost died. His face hardened determinedly, "Tony, you-"

He was interrupted by Hill's voice over the intercom. "We've arrived."

Tony kissed Bruce again hurriedly, more fiercely this time. "I'll say hi to the Hulk for you." Then he opened the door and strode out of the bathroom. Bruce followed about twenty seconds later.

They all gathered on the flight deck. Everyone except Tony boarded the smaller fighter plane. Natasha started the plane and the Avengers made their way down to the invasion.

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**AN: **I hope it was alright. Please review and tell me how I'm doing. Also if you want any other ships introduced, feel free to tell me!


	10. The Battle

**AN: **Hello all you lovely lovely people! I updated a lot faster than I thought I would :D Thank you so very much for reading, favoriting, alerting, and reviewing. I write so much faster when I know people like my story! There's a moment of Clint/bow in this chapter :D I freaking love Clint. **~Heather**

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The alien species was humanoid in shape. From JARVIS's initial scans, which were relayed to the Avengers, the humanoids were armored in silver body suits of overlapping metal scales. Their skin was a light red hue and their eyes were differing shades of purple. They stood at heights averaging seven feet, and all appeared to be male in gender. Either the aliens were sexist and subsequently against having female warriors or the sexes of the alien races looked the same. Or maybe there weren't two genders in this species. The heads were slightly larger in proportion to their bodies and the species had six fingers to each hand.

The city was seemingly devoid of civilians, though there were probably some who had idiotically ignored the evacuation. Buildings were aflame, glass littered the streets, and cars were overturned. There didn't appear to be a purpose to the attack. The aliens were running amuck, destroying whatever they liked.

"Their lack of battle plan gives us even more reason to believe it's merely a diversion. We are scanning all cameras for Loki," Fury said over the comm.

"I know not what promises Loki gave these invaders that they would attack Midgard without reason. I would be informed if you locate my brother," Thor replied.

"Very well," Fury said.

Tony was about to be in range with the aliens.

"Ready, JARVIS?"

"As ever, sir."

His suit locked onto twenty targets before Tony released a corresponding number of missiles. Those aliens obliterated, Tony sped on to his next targets, blasting away any who tried to attack him. Bruce watched him from inside the fighter plane. The Iron Man suit in action was a thing of beauty. But of course it was – the suit was a manifestation of its creator's beautiful brain. He felt a surge of excitement watching Tony swerve through enemies, destroying all opponents in his path. If Bruce could've admitted it to himself, he felt like a fawning teenager. Bruce would never admit to the proud thought that passed through his mind next: "That's my boyfriend."

At that moment, one of the aliens collided into Tony, causing him to drop in altitude as he fought to break free.

"Shit." Tony mumbled.

"Tony!" Bruce cried out.

Steve let out a resounding, "Stark! This is why you should wait for the rest of us!"

Natasha said nothing. Stark may be a playboy at times, but he could handle himself. He knew how to fight.

Clint barely looked up from his bow. Like Tasha, he knew Tony's abilities. Right now, his most important thought was the upcoming battle and his gear. While the others were preoccupied with Tony, he lovingly stroked his bow, eager to use it. Glancing up again, he nudged Natasha and pointed to a nearby building. She angled towards it.

"Does the Man of Iron require assistance?" Thor asked, hefting Mjolnir.

Bruce's worry from earlier began to grow again. "I swear to God, Tony-"

His hand finally free from the alien's grip, Tony shot a blast of energy into his opponent's face, killing him instantly.

"Got it, got it. You guys are sweet, you worry too much." The team could hear the smirk in his voice.

Bruce began to get angry because of the fear he had felt, and his worry didn't lessen. The back hatch of the plane opened then to let Hawkeye out onto the roof of a building. Clint nodded to all of them before sliding down a rope, landing on the building and taking position, immediately firing three shots in quick succession at the aliens in sight.

Bruce felt his irrational fear of losing Tony grow and he started to feel a bit green around the edges. Swiftly unbuttoning his shirt and laying it down on a seat, he walked over to the still open hatch.

"Dr. Banner!" Steve called, wondering what Bruce was doing. They were no longer above the building, instead it was an extremely long fall to the streets below.

"I'll see you guys later," Bruce replied, looking over his shoulder. Then he jumped out of the plane.

"Holy shit!" Clint cursed over the comm. He jumped off buildings all the time, but that didn't mean he liked it. Plus, he always had his arrows to save him. Then he chuckled, musing over the size of the crater the Hulk would cause after falling from that height.

The instant gravity began to pull him down to the earth, Bruce started transforming rapidly. The air whipped at his hair and skin as he plummeted to a normal man's imminent death. But he wasn't a normal man. With a roar, the Hulk was unleashed and he leapt onto the nearest building. With purpose, the Hulk smashed and killed his way towards where Tony was fighting.

Natasha landed the plane and she, Thor, and Steve ran out of the aircraft. With a few swings of his hammer, Thor flew into the air. Lifting his shield, the Captain ran to the middle of the street and began drawing the aliens to him. He fought hard, with strength and bravery – he made it look easy. Natasha snuck up on the aliens, taking them out silently. Thor bashed his hammer back and forth, the pile of alien bodies surrounding him growing.

During the entirety of the battle, The Hulk didn't stray from Tony's side. Tony still fought plenty of aliens, but he was never even remotely in danger. Every time more than a few aliens came towards Tony, the Hulk roared and smashed them with a frightening ferocity, black blood staining his hands.

It turned out the Captain was too good at attracting enemies to himself.

"Stark, I'm surrounded. Tell the Hulk to make his way over here. The others are busy and I want you to keep position," Rogers said over the comm.

"Hey Hulk," Tony called, "Go help Captain America with the ground troops."

The Hulk roared in anger. "No. Hulk no leave Metal Man. Tony not die," The Hulk said stubbornly.

"I'm fine, big guy. The captain needs you," Tony said while shooting another alien in the face.

"Stark!" Steve wasn't even visible anymore, fighting under a crush of aliens, dead and alive.

The Hulk knew how important he was. How could Hulk not be important? Hulk the strongest one here. The gold-hair god fight good, but still no match for Hulk. Hulk could defeat red things by the captain easily. But he would not leave Tony. Hulk like Tony. Bruce love Tony. Hulk could feel the love and fear from Bruce even now. Hulk love Tony.

"HULK NO LEAVE TONY!" He roared, suddenly reaching out to grab Tony. Inside his Iron Man suit, Tony yelped. The Hulk held him gently and ran towards Steve and Natasha fighting.

"Um, Cap, Hulk is on his way, but he kind of…took me with him," Tony said.

"What! Why?" Tony was about to answer when they reached the fray and fighting became more important.

The Hulk released him, but immediately pointed a large green finger in his face. "Stay," he said, eyes and voice commanding.

"Yeah, I got you, buddy. Staying." Tony said, firing off missiles to hit the aliens closest to Steve.

With a large sweep of his hands, the Hulk crushed a dozen enemies. "Good."

At that moment, Steve smacked an alien broadly in the face, breaking its skull with a sickening crunch.

"Ooo, crunchatize me Cap'n!" Tony said over the comm.

"Yum," Clint replied, before loosing an arrow at an attacker, its subsequent collapse causing several more to fall to their deaths.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT REFERENCE." Steve shouted in false annoyance, his smile giving him away. By now he knew he would never catch up to the point where he could understand every reference Stark made. The man was a walking dictionary for pop culture.

The battle went on for several more minutes, each Avenger performing inhuman stunts and overcoming the aliens even though the Avengers were grossly outnumbered.

The greatest feat of the battle though was Thor summoning the thunder. Every time Thor wielded Mjolnir, Tony felt he showed why he was called a god. In a repeat performance of New York, Thor summoned lightning to a building, using the structure as a conductor, before unleashing the full rage upon the aliens. The electrical discharge hit their armor, breaking off to be conducted by other aliens surrounding those already hit. On impact, the creatures were fried within their armor. With one hit, the aliens began to topple like dominos, as the lightning spread through the invaders. It seemed Loki wanted the aliens destroyed. Why else would he recruit aliens who wore metal armor when he knew Thor would be present at the battle?

"Damn, that was badass," Tony thought. As he flew towards Thor, he put "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC on his speakers. Thor raised his hammer in recognition, though he hadn't heard the song before, a wide smile on his face.

"JARVIS, remind me to set that song as my ring tone for Thor. That is, if he ever figures out how to use the phone I gave him."

The battle was over. Clint took out the last few aerial stragglers. Steve and Natasha had backed away from the ground invaders to prevent getting hit during Thor's lightning strike. Tony had flown far from the lightning when it struck, fearing electrocution himself. The Hulk stayed where he was. A little lightning didn't bother him one bit. There were no aliens left alive on the ground, they had all been decimated.

"I guess we will never figure out what Loki was up to. If it even was Loki. We should've kept a prisoner," Steve said over the comm.

The Hulk grunted to get Tony's attention.

Tony looked over at the Hulk and laughed. "Hey Cap, looks like we got that prisoner you wanted."

In the Hulk's left hand, he held one of the aliens upside-down by the ankle. From the garbled sounds coming from its mouth, the alien appeared to be alive and yelling at them in its language, probably outraged at being treated like a doll.

"Nice job, Hulk!" Steve smiled before saying over the comm, "Fury, we have a prisoner."

"Good. Excellent work. Bring him back to the helicarrier. I'm sending SHIELD in now to clean up the city."

Natasha pulled two sets of handcuffs from somewhere on her person. Really, where did she hide those? Tony thought. She secured the prisoner's wrists first and then his ankles after the Hulk had dropped him unceremoniously on the ground. After removing the prisoner's weapons, Thor lifted the alien with ease and slung him over his shoulder.

"I'll stay here with the Hulk until he transforms," Tony offered, hoping his voice didn't sound too eager. From the twitch of Natasha's eyebrow, he thought he might not have been successful.

"Report back immediately after he transforms. No excursions or coffee breaks, Stark. We need you both for briefing," Fury ordered.

"Yes, mom."

"Alright, Thor, Natasha, you ready to go?" Natasha nodded her assent and Thor gave a hearty yes. "Clint, we'll come pick you up."

"Roger that," came Clint's voice over the comm.

They soon departed, leaving Tony with the Hulk.

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**AN: **I hope it was good. Feel free to suggest what you want to happen next. I'm pretty sure where I want to go, but ideas are welcome! I really love you all. Thank you for reading.


	11. Discovery

**AN: **Hello all! Again, sorry for the wait! This fic is wrapping up soon. If you have any ideas or situations you want me to incorporate, feel free to leave a comment and I'll see what I can do! Thank you all for reading and showing me you love this fic by favoriting/following/commenting. **~Heather**

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Thor, Steve, and Natasha trudged onto the thankfully unharmed fighter jet that they had flown in earlier. After locking the prisoner in a handy brig of sorts (sound proof, thankfully, since the alien wouldn't shut up), Natasha fastened herself into the pilot's seat and took off to pick up Clint. When they arrived, they again lowered a rope, which Clint climbed up with impressive ease.

As soon as the hatch door closed, Clint turned to the others.

"Did that seem weird to anybody else?"

"To what are you referring, son of Barton?" Thor said.

Natasha continued flying quietly. She rarely spoke unless it was important, otherwise she just lied in wait, listening.

Steve, who had just sat down in one of the seats, raised his head to look questioningly at Clint.

"Oh come on, I can't have been the only one to notice. What was up with the Hulk and Tony?" Clint loved figuring out other people's motives and habits, a hobby he picked up after spending so much time up in the nest.

Steve's look went from questioning to understanding. "Yeah, what was that about? The Hulk was shadowing Stark like an overprotective mother!"

"He was basically coddling him!" replied Clint animatedly, excited that somebody shared his observation.

"Indeed, I do recall there being a certain hesitancy in the Hulk to leave the man of Iron's side." Thor said.

In the cockpit out of sight from the others, Natasha smiled to herself. You could call it a woman's intuition, but she knew it was just her skills at reading people. Let the boys see if they could figure it out on their own, she thought.

"Does Dr. Banner know something we don't know about Stark's suit? Is there some kind of vulnerability?" Steve said.

"This is assuming the beast and son of Banner communicate. Perhaps it was merely coincidence?"

"No, I saw it all. The Hulk made his way straight to Tony and kept him within arm's reach at all times. Then he grabbed Tony and brought him forcefully to Steve's aid. No way in hell that's a coincidence," Clint said.

"Do you think it was just something specific to the Hulk? Maybe he likes fighting next to the guy who creates large explosions. Did Dr. Banner seem different as well?" Steve asked, genuinely curious at the Hulk's odd behavior.

"You did notice he jumped out of the fucking plane, right?" Clint said.

"Yes, that was rather alarming," Steve replied.

"The man of rage must have been eager to join the battle. I know I also desired greatly to join the fray, but I did not think it honorable to leave my friends!"

"I think there was more to it than that. He looked a little green around the edges. Did everyone hear what he said before he jumped?" Clint said.

Steve shook his head while Thor boomed out a "No, I did not."

"He said, 'I swear to God, Tony'. He sounded angry and scared." Clint thought for a moment and then his mouth twitched into a mischievous smile.

"Do you think…do you think they're together?" Clint said. Natasha smiled this time, proud of her partner for not being as dense as the rest of them. But then again, Clint did spend a great deal of time with her, even more so lately.

"You mean…fondue?" Steve asked.

Everyone turned to give Steve a strange look, even Natasha, who frankly didn't need to pay much attention to flying as she was a natural pilot. Steve merely shrugged. One day he'd learn the new lingo.

"They would be an excellent choice for each other," Thor beamed. He barely even gave it a thought. Lovers, mates, weddings, scandals, heterosexuality, homosexuality, bestiality, shape-shifting – it was all commonplace on Asgard. They _are_ gods, you know. So naturally, his thoughts went straight to how they would react in his realm. "If it is true, we should throw a feast in celebration! Even so, we should throw a feast, for we prevailed in battle."

"Yes, food would be nice right about now," Steve said. His metabolism was four times faster than the average human, so food was one of the other predominant thoughts in his mind. For the matter at hand, he was surprised that Bruce and Tony were together, but only because he had not expected it. While bisexuality and homosexuality were not widely accepted in his time, he had always believed in equality for all. Steve didn't like bullies. People who discriminate based on sexual orientation are exactly that. Bullies.

Clint didn't pay any attention to sexual orientation either. He was in the circus and had been a SHIELD agent for years – he's seen everything. _Everything_. Nothing could faze Clint. Now that he thought about it, Clint realized he should've known all along that Bruce and Tony had something building between them. Though recently, Clint had been distracted. Ever since he was compromised, a certain breathtakingly gorgeous and deadly assassin had occupied his mind and time.

As if sensing his line of thought, Natasha turned her head to look at him. The expression on her face didn't change, but her eyes flashed at him in a way that only he could read. Oh boy, was he looking forward to later tonight! Unable to resist, Clint winked at her. In response, she raised her eyebrow just the slightest amount, letting him know he would be punished for that wink. Please punish me with the thigh choke, Clint thought. He always had admired that move far more than was healthy.

Natasha also couldn't be fazed by two seemingly heterosexual males entering into a sexual relationship with each other. She had been expecting their relationship to progress for quite some time. Though Natasha would never admit it, she had been rooting for them. It helped that Stark was much more bearable around the calm and collected doctor. Bruce could never bore Tony, especially since he had the perfect combination of genius science nerd and the capability to transform into pure rage and strength. Natasha had also never seen Bruce as happy as he was when Tony was around. The billionaire was just the right mix of flippancy, genius, humor, and absolute trust that Bruce so greatly needed. Tony and Bruce were much better men than other people believed. And even more importantly, they were much better men than they thought themselves to be.

As to the imprisoned alien's opinion on the matter, he couldn't hear a damn thing, so he just glared.

* * *

Waking came slowly to Bruce. The first thing he noticed in his haze was that he wasn't sprawled on top of rubble. He felt himself in a reclining position against a warm surface. A rather soft surface, save for the slight firmness he felt in between his shoulder blades. Bruce was very comfortable, which was a feeling he had never experienced after a transformation.

The second thing he noticed was he wasn't being blinded by red light streaming through his eyelids. Was it nighttime already? Or maybe he was inside or in the shade?

Finally, he gained enough energy to open his eyes. Raising his head slightly, Bruce saw a strong arm wrapped around his naked torso and one leg on either side of his body.

"Hey there," someone said behind Bruce. He could feel the rumble of the familiar voice and the rise and fall of the person's breathing.

"Tony?" Bruce asked, hoping it was Tony, not only because he had been lying unconscious on the person behind him, but also because it meant Tony survived the attack.

"Who else?" Tony said into Bruce's hair, before pressing a soft kiss to the man's head.

Bruce's face broke into a bright but exhausted smile which lit up his whole face. "Thank God," he breathed in relief.

Tony chuckled and the vibrations transferred into Bruce, making him relax a bit more into Tony's chest. "I told you I'd be fine. You have no faith in me," Tony said teasingly in mock outrage.

"Mmm," Bruce hummed as a vague response. Lifting his left arm, he placed his hand on Tony's left arm, which was still wrapped around him. "Well, I'm glad you're okay," he said as he absentmindedly rubbed his thumb along Tony's skin.

This time Tony bent down to kiss Bruce's neck, behind his right ear. "How are you feeling?" Tony asked against his neck.

"Surprisingly comfortable. I have you to thank for that it seems." Bruce couldn't stop smiling. Damn you, Tony! He was turning into a teenage girl. As Tony kissed his neck again, Bruce sighed internally. Oh well, I give up. Teenage girl it is, if this is what I get in return!

"Well, _I _certainly wouldn't want to wake up in a pile of rubble with the sun glaring down on me. Especially when feeling like I was hung-over. Been there, done that."

"You've woken up in rubble, hung-over?" Bruce asked, disbelievingly.

"Uh, former playboy, recovering alcoholic here. So, yeah," Tony said in his usual cocky manner. After a moment's pause, he continued softly . "Not one of my proudest moments."

"Former and recovering have never been such beautiful words to me before," Bruce teased gently, but with an edge of warmth that betrayed the sincerity of the statement.

"And I have you to thank for that," Tony said, being serious for a brief moment. Then, in true Tony style: "Now, let's find you a shirt. If you are shirtless for one more minute, I will ravage you, right here, right now. As much as I would like to do that, I'm sure you would disapprove."

Bruce sat up and turned his head to see Tony grinning at him, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "Yeah, exhibitionism isn't really my thing, so no getting any ideas!" Bruce smiled at Tony's sudden pleading puppy dog look before continuing. "So what's the plan? Helicarrier?"

"I contacted Fury when you de-Hulked. There should be a plane here shortly to take us to the helicarrier. You captured us an alien."

"The Hulk did?"

"You both did. You guys are a team! One in the same! Two peas in a pod! Two sides of the same coin! Thelma and Louise! Starsky and H-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Help me up before I Hulk out again from annoyance," Bruce interrupted.

Tony stood up and reached his left hand down to pull Bruce up. He hadn't seen it before, but Tony was still wearing his gauntlet on his right arm.

Tony saw Bruce looking. "For protection. There were a few stragglers we didn't catch. I could've sworn we got everyone." He gestured to the three alien bodies Bruce hadn't observed before.

"Loki?" Bruce asked. He squeezed Tony's hand in unspoken thanks for protecting him in his vulnerable state, before letting go.

Tony shrugged. "I've got some ideas, but I'll wait until we are all together." Bruce nodded, thinking on the matter as well.

They waited in silence until about a minute later, the SHIELD jet arrived to take them to the helicarrier. Tony picked up the red and gold case next to him and they boarded the plane.

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**AN:** Please review and leave any ideas you may have! I love you all :)


	12. Theories and Hand Holding

**AN: **Hello all! I've been away from this fic for far too long. This chapter is too short for my liking, but I wanted to get out the first part of the team's reactions to Tony and Bruce's newly found coupleness. The story is wrapping up. Only a chapter or two more, so leave some comments about what you want to see. I plan on writing about the party. I had someone say they wanted a date chapter, so if enough people agree with that, I will write one! I promise the wait for the next chapter won't be this long. I love you all so very very much and I am touched by all of your responses. I can't write to save my life, and yet you guys hang in there and read it all! You are the best. **~Heather**

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Tony followed an exhausted Bruce into the conference room on the Helicarrier where the rest of the team was gathered.

The moment they entered the room, all eyes were on them, observing the differences that all but Natasha had been aware of before. Tony noticed the scrutiny and particularly saw the smirk on Agent Romanoff's face.

"What?" Tony asked, "What did we miss?"

"How long?" Clint asked smiling, his eyes moving from Bruce to Tony.

"How long what?" Tony said. Bruce stood quietly next to Tony, watching the events unfold.

"We figured out your secret," Clint said archly.

"Oh, really? I am a man of many secrets. Which one?" Tony smirked back, wondering if the team was more perceptive than he gave them credit for.

"Bruce and your secret! We know you are together!" Clint clarified. Natasha noted the rosy blush that bloomed on Bruce's face, while Tony's face remained a mask. He was remarkably good at that, she thought. Must be all the experience with the paparazzi.

"You are, aren't you?" Steve asked, suddenly doubtful and concerned that they possibly made the situation awkward.

But Tony made eye contact with Bruce, as if asking for permission. At Bruce's smile and nod, Tony's mask broke into a huge grin.

"We were going to tell you guys right after the battle! Promise!" Tony exclaimed. When Bruce edged closer to brush his shoulder companionably against Tony's, the team thought they had never seen Tony look happier.

"Son of Stark, son of Banner! I am happy for you both! Embrace me!" Thor grabbed both of them and brought them into a tight hug.

"Umm, thanks Thor," Bruce said, muffled slightly because he was crushed against Thor's chest.

"We must celebrate!" Thor said, finally releasing the geniuses.

Tony smiled, "Well, I sure know how to party! But," Tony said, glancing over at Bruce, "how about just the team?" Bruce looked at Tony and his expression was soft with gratefulness, a small arching of his lips told Tony he was pleased that the former partier was doing this for both of them.

"So when did this happen?" Steve asked.

At this question, Bruce rubbed his neck with his hand and mumbled, "Well, uh, yesterday, really."

"By yesterday, do you mean last night?" Clint asked. The hint of innuendo was not lost on Tony.

"No. I want this settled right now. It's not like that. Bruce is not…he's not…" Tony trailed off. Looking at Bruce, he shifted his hand over to lace their fingers together – a show of affection that he'd never exhibited with anyone. "He is so much more than that," Tony said, turning to face the team, determinedly staring them down.

"I didn't mean anything by it, buddy," Clint said.

Relaxing, Tony replied, "It's cool. Don't worry about it," and slapped a hand on Clint's shoulder in a friendly fashion.

Suddenly, Clint began to laugh. "Oh wow. Oh guys, I just remembered something I heard over the comm." He had to pause because he was laughing too hard. "The Hulk told Tony to stay."

Tony's face began to color in an uncharacteristic blush.

"He told Tony to stay like…like a dog!"

Clint and Thor dissolved into noisy laughter, while Steve attempted to quiet the laughs escaping from his mouth. Even Natasha was smiling. Bruce looked on in shock, jaw dropping slightly. "He did…what? I might have to see footage of that," he said, beginning to laugh, before stopping mid-chuckle at the embarrassed look on Tony's face.

"Yeah, you were a tad bit overprotective, Bruce," Tony admitted.

"I would say I was sorry, but I'm not," Bruce said, silently communicating the rest with a look at Tony. _If it means you'll still be here, I'd do it again. And again._ Tony squeezed his hand in thanks and understanding.

"What are we sorry about?" Coulson said, entering the room. His eyes passed over Tony and Bruce holding hands without any change in his composure. "Fury will be here shortly," he added pointedly at the couple, suddenly smiling kindly at them.

The scientists took the hint and broke apart, sitting in chairs next to each other. It's not that they didn't want Fury to know – and he was sure to find out – but they didn't really feel like it was any of his business right now.

The rest of the team sat as well, just as Fury walked in.

He stood at the front of the room and spoke, debriefing them apparently, but Tony barely paid any attention. The moment he sat down, he took Bruce's hand in his again and placed it palm up on his knee, underneath the table. While Fury talked, Tony ran his fingers along Bruce's hand. Though he had never been one for holding hands, it felt good to lavish attention upon Bruce. The recipient of his caresses would occasionally bend his fingers to catch Tony's hand and return the gesture. It was soothing.

Once Tony deemed Fury was done explaining that they had no intelligence on Loki or the cause of the attack, he decided to voice his idea.

"I have a theory," he said. At a tired motion from Fury, Tony released Bruce's hand with a gentle squeeze, stood, and stepped back from the table.

"After you guys left and the big guy went back into hibernation, so to speak, I had a few visitors. It seems either we missed three of these red devils, or they were sent after the main invasion. They arrived right as Bruce came back to us. Now, I think this isn't a coincidence. I think Loki sent those guys with orders to capture Bruce. The main invasion was a distraction from some other goal, but Loki _knew _we would fight these guys, and he _thought _we would leave the Hulk to transform on his own. It was a pretty half-assed plan, probably a last minute decision, but I think he wanted to capture Bruce while he was vulnerable and without our protection. Loki would want to get his revenge on Bruce for what he did to Loki in New York. Now, he didn't predict that I would _never _leave him alone and unconscious on the battleground. Unfortunately for those attempted kidnappers, Bruce wasn't unprotected. But it's just my theory. We won't know until we get to chat with Loki. I look forward to it," Tony finished.

Throughout his speech, his voice became fiercer with rage and he paced the room, ending with his hands on the back of Bruce's chair. Bruce leaned his head against one of Tony's hands and Tony came back into himself, abruptly returning to his seat.

Steve had been nodding during Tony's monologue. "I think you're right. We'll search more thoroughly next time. I shouldn't have left you to fend for yourself!" Steve said, berating himself slightly.

"I believe my brother would have had them appear in the city later. I am sure they were not there when we left," Thor reassured the Captain.

"Did we have any sightings of Loki?" Natasha asked. Secretly under the table, her thigh was pressed flush against Clint's and her hand was resting on his thigh, which if anyone had been observing, probably explained why Clint had gone slightly rigid in his chair.

"Not yet. We'll continue looking into Loki's whereabouts. For now, Avengers, get some rest."

The second Fury left, Tony turned to the rest of the team and Coulson. "So…party in Malibu, anyone? You can all stay over as long as you want." Clint grinned devilishly in agreement, while Thor boomed his approval. Steve shrugged his shoulders, knowing it was useless to refuse and also sure he would enjoy himself anyways.

"Oh, I'm there," Natasha said. Stark always did have the best vodka.

"I'm sure Director Fury would like me to keep an eye on you," Coulson said, internally ecstatic at the chance to hang out with Steve and the rest of the Avengers, as if he belonged. Which, though he was too modest to admit it, he did belong. He was a hero, just like them. Even more importantly, the Avengers looked up to Coulson, even more than he looked up to them.

Leaving the conference room, they all walked to the hangar and onto the SHIELD jet provided to take them home, chatting amiably with each other. At times, Tony would use his hands to emphasize what he was saying, but his hand would always find its way right back into Bruce's.


	13. The Party

**AN: **Finally, I know. I've been so damn busy, it sucks not being able to write. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. **~Heather**

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During the flight back to Malibu, Tony made a few calls to arrange enough food and drinks for the lot of them. For humans without superpowers, Tony and Bruce had a great deal of muscle mass that needed fuel, but feeding people like Thor and Steve was another story. As for drinks, he had to order some choice liquor because he tried not to keep his liquor cabinet as full as it used to be. Bruce absolutely detested any kind of alcohol. Bruce's father was a violent alcoholic, so Tony tried his hardest to sober up and not become anything remotely like his father. It was enough trying not to become his _own _father, let alone following in the footsteps of Bruce's. Removing the temptation seemed to help, but what helped much more was the joy Tony felt around Bruce, preventing him from ever turning to alcohol in his misery.

The flight was extremely and unexpectedly cheerful. The only person who seemed withdrawn was Thor, who was most likely wondering what his brother was up to. Bruce really felt sorry for the guy. Thor really loved his brother, but to no avail. Once during the trip, Bruce nudged Tony's knee with his hand, nodding towards Thor. Tony looked up to see Thor staring down at the hammer in his hands, lost in thought. Leaning slightly against Bruce, Tony whispered, "Maybe the party will lift his spirits."

"I hope so," Bruce said back.

When off-duty, Natasha relaxed around the others. She had grown to trust them, as much as she was able. Plus, she knew that should any of them become unworthy of her trust, she was more than capable of taking them down.

Steve and Natasha had formed a particularly strong friendship. They understood each other and found each other's company…normal. Surprisingly normal, especially when compared with the others on their team. So it was common to see the Captain up in the cockpit with Natasha talking, and Clint, more often than not, standing nearby. Today, the trio and Coulson were joking and chatting away the time. Bruce, exhausted from his transformation, ended up falling asleep lying across the seats. His feet ended up next to Tony's leg, and Tony would absentmindedly rub his thumb in circles on Bruce's bare feet. Tony wouldn't say he was relaxed exactly – he was contemplating the designs of some upgrades for a few inventions – but he was content to just sit there in his team's company, and especially in Bruce's company, even though the man was sleeping.

When you love someone, sometimes just being near them fills you with surges of affection. You look at them - when they are asleep and drooling, or covered in grass and mud from yardwork, or furrowing their brow in deep thought - and the sight of them causes you to smile with your mouth and eyes and heart. That feeling is one of the many parts of being in love that is so fantastic, and also one of the most inexplicable reasons. And damn it, if Tony didn't get that feeling when looking at Bruce.

It was with a heavy heart that Tony woke Bruce from his rest when they arrived in Malibu.

"Bruce?" Tony said, getting up and tapping Bruce gently on the shoulder. He awoke with a start, sitting upright and glancing around him.

"You alright?" Bruce's reaction had been a bit…disconcerting.

"Sorry, sorry…I always freak out a little when I'm woken up. I don't know why…Anyways, hi," Bruce finished, finally smiling up at Tony. "We're home?"

_Home._ For some reason, that word gave Tony even more hope that Bruce wouldn't leave him one day. This was their home.

_Home. _I guess I finally found it, Bruce thought. After so long without one. My first happy home.

"Yes, Bruce. We're home," Tony said, his face mirroring the peace and contentment in Bruce's own. Tony pulled Bruce up by the hand and squeezed it gently, before releasing it and turning to the others.

"Okay, showers are available for anyone who wants one! I'll get the food, drinks, and music ready," Tony said, quickly showing everyone where to go. As soon as everyone else was gone, he pulled Bruce to him.

"Ugh, I want to join you in the shower so badly and do unspeakable things to you, but you look like you could drop at any moment. So go shower without me and I will just lust after you from afar. And feel free to take a nap, you don't have to party if you don't want to," Tony said. As much as Tony wanted to spend the evening with Bruce and the team, he didn't think Bruce had ever been much of a partier.

"I know, Tony," Bruce said, smiling at Tony's consideration. "I think I might take a short nap, then shower, but I'll come back and socialize, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise."

"Okay," Bruce replied, before surprising Tony with a kiss. Soft lips and a tease of tongue became lips firm with purpose, yet gentle against Tony's, their tongues yielding, pushing, tasting. Bruce's hand moved from Tony's cheek to comb through his hair and pull Tony deeper into the kiss. After several moments (minutes? hours? Tony lost track.) of this kiss, Bruce pulled away, his eyes glinting with mischief as he made his way to his room.

"Uh…what was I doing?" Tony blinked at Bruce, who was walking away with a certain cockiness in his step that hadn't been there before. As soon as the doctor and his delicious ass were out of sight, Tony came back to himself. "Food. Right."

Soon, the food and drinks were arranged, music was playing, the card table was set, and Tony even had time to quickly change and inspect a few of his nastier pressure bruises. He returned to the main room to find Phil, Steve, and Thor relaxing on the couch. Minutes later, Clint and Natasha arrived.

From the looks Clint was giving Natasha and the rosy tinge in her cheeks, Tony assumed they had showered together, and quite successfully too. Steve and Thor remained oblivious, engrossed in conversation about fighting tactics, but Tony doubted anything slipped past Phil.

"No need to wait for Bruce – he's sleeping off his Hulk-ing. Let's get this party started!"

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Conversation flowed easily, the food was delicious, and surprisingly for the rest of the team, neither Tony nor Thor hit the alcohol hard tonight. Tony settled for soda, and Thor drank only four ales, instead of his usual dozen. As per usual, only the best vodka was served to Natasha. Clint could drink anything, but favored whisky. There was wine for Phil, which he shared with Steve. Alcohol content was no matter for Steve, since he couldn't get drunk, so he opted for taste instead. And of course, ever American, he didn't fail to drink a beer for old times' sake.

Phil didn't get drunk, though he did drink more than usual. He chalked it up to nerves at being around the Captain, even though he knew by now that it was a normal occurrence. There was no reason to be nervous when interacting with your idol. No reason at all. Especially not when he smiled at you that way – sincere and happy. Phil took another sip of his wine. This was going to be a long night.

Tony stood at the bar, observing his team. Clint and Natasha were attempting to teach Thor poker, which looked like a disaster in the making. There was no way Thor would be able to hold his own. The god had a crap poker face. Though that was one of the best parts about Thor. His heart was always on his sleeve. A great weakness, but an even greater strength. It was difficult to not like the god. Clint's poker face was excellent, but Natasha's was even better. Tony knew. He'd played her in a few games. Let's just say it's a good thing he's a billionaire and can afford to lose a bit of money…or more than a bit.

After several rounds of poker, a few of which he won (Tony would have to thank Natasha and Clint later for giving Thor some source of triumph), Thor came over to Tony.

"Thank you for these festivities, Tony. I feel quite fatigued and shall retire now." Well, that was extremely out of character for the god. Though Tony didn't like to show he cared, he couldn't help but be concerned for Thor.

"You okay, buddy?"

"Yes, I'm quite content. I thank you for your concern. Enjoy the evening, you fought well today," Thor said, clapping Tony on the shoulder and forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You too, Thor," Tony said, nodding in respect at the god. He hadn't at first, but Tony really respected Thor. It surprised the inventor how much he respected and even liked every member of his team.

Bruce chose that moment to enter the room just as Thor was leaving. They met at the door, where Thor repeated his companionable and respectful shoulder clap for his brother-in-arms, to which Bruce responded awkwardly. There Bruce was, all five feet and eight inches the gentle, unassuming scientist, standing next to the Norse God of Thunder, and Tony only had eyes for Bruce. Bruce, who had just come back from his shower, hair still damp, and damn, was he gorgeous. Either ignoring Tony's obvious drooling or unaware of it, Bruce walked over to Tony and chuckled. "Look at poor Clint," Bruce said, nudging Tony with his shoulder. Reluctantly, Tony tore his eyes away from Bruce to look.

"Oh man," Tony said in sympathy. Natasha was dragging Clint to the middle of the room, a devilish look in her eyes. Clint was going to be devoured. Wrapping her body around Clint's, they began to dance to the music. It looked like Clint wasn't afraid of a little fight for dominance, if the ferocity of their dance said anything.

Drifting his sight around the room, Tony looked on in renewed amusement at the sight before him. Phil was absolutely smitten with Steve. Ever since the start of the party, the captain hadn't left his side, except to refill Phil's wine glass for him. Tony saw Steve take a deep breath and turn to speak to the agent next to him. Interesting. Whatever Steve said, it made Phil, ever unruffled Phil, blush deeply. Oh. _Oh. _Steve held out his hand and, after a moment's hesitation, Phil took it. Steve led him closer to where Clint and Natasha were dancing and as he was about to pull the agent to him, he suddenly looked lost. The captain said something again, bashfully this time, and Phil laughed kindly, taking Steve's hands and placing them where they should go. It was both adorable and the most hilarious thing Tony had seen all week, watching Phil teach Steve how to dance.

It was also extremely representative of their rag tag team, to see two pairs dancing to the same music, one pair with an increasingly decent foxtrot, the other with their bodies flushed against each other in a mix of tango and just plain grinding.

"Well, Bruce. Care to dance? Think you can handle it?" Tony smirked.

"Oh, I'm sure I can handle getting my feet stepped on just fine. It takes more than that to make me "Hulk out", I assure you," Bruce teased right back.

"Mhmm, yeah sure. I am a great dancer, I'll have you know," Tony said in false outrage.

Leaning into Tony, Bruce stared him down and said, "Prove it," taking Tony's hand and leading him towards the others.

While Tony did prove to be as he said and did not step on Bruce's feet, they did not aspire for dancing greatness and instead opted for a regular slow dance, enjoying the closeness of their embrace, rather than the complexity of their dance moves.

And Bruce, much to Tony's pleasure, took advantage of the situation, placing lingering kisses on Tony's collarbone, the hollow of his neck, then moving up his neck to his pulse point.

"You're evil," Tony said lowly in Bruce's ear. In response, Bruce ground his hips into Tony's, making both all too aware of their current states.

"We can leave them to it, don't you think?" Bruce asked, way too aroused to stay in the team's company.

"Night guys! Enjoy your night," Tony said loudly, already pulling Bruce towards the elevator.

Steve and Phil chuckled at the quickly escaping couple. Clint let out a wolf whistle, which was cut short when Natasha called after them, "Oh, we will."

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**AN: **So the startling awake thing is something I do EVERY SINGLE TIME someone wakes me up. Being woken up scares the shit out of me. It sucks majorly. I like to give my characters some of my own personal things, so I'm sorry if it bugs any of you that I included it.

So question, do you guys want smut chapter next to know what happens after the party? If yes, that will be next, followed by the date chapter! If not, next is the date chapter.

I seriously love you all. Thank you so much. You are all wonderfully patient and kind and I can't believe you read this!


	14. Show Me

**AN: **Hello! It's really _really _late and I'm exhausted, but it seems I only get time to write at night. UGH I can't wait to go back up to college. Many thanks to all of my wonderful readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers, but especially to **Suga Bee **whose amazing review made me cry with happiness and inspired me to write this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to you, Suga Bee! :) I am so glad you all voted for smut! This is only my second time writing it, so I apologize if it is terrible. I agonized over it :/ **~Heather**

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The moment they entered the elevator and the doors shut, Bruce pushed Tony against the wall and kissed him fiercely, reaching for the correct button with the hand that wasn't against Tony's chest.

"It really is always the quiet ones, isn't it?" Tony said when Bruce pulled away, his voice sounding halfway between amused and aroused. When Bruce ground his hips against Tony's, the aroused part completely took over. "This elevator is too slow!" The inventor gripped Bruce's waist tightly with his hands, pulling the man closer so he could kiss Bruce's gorgeously exposed neck.

Finally, the elevator arrived at Tony's floor and they fumbled towards the bedroom, not wanting to separate their bodies for even a moment, subsequently tripping over each other's feet. They made their way blindly, eyes too busy falling closed in response to the warm press of lips and tongues against skin, the heat of bodies pressed together, and the occasional brush of groins that caused them to groan involuntarily. They pushed through the slightly ajar door and continued to the bed.

Still kissing passionately, they tried to kick their shoes off, and were relatively successful, until Tony tripped and fell onto the bed, pulling Bruce with him.

"Oops," Tony said, and instantly their enthusiasm gave way to laughter. Bruce curled up slightly with his chuckles, and Tony lay on his back, laughing with one hand resting on his abdomen, the other covering his face in slight embarrassment.

"Very smooth, Tony. I'm quite seduced," Bruce said teasingly, and Tony turned onto his side to look at the man.

"Yeah, well maybe with you I'm a little _less _smooth," he said with a slight smirk.

"And why's that?"

"I don't know…" Tony's own joking comment had hit closer to home than he thought it would. "Because it's real? It's not a game to me, it's…I'm…_myself _with you," Tony trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

The look in Bruce's eyes softened and he lifted his arm to rest his hand on Tony's hipbone, slipping his fingers underneath the fabric of the shirt so he could feel the warmth of the very much alive man in front of him.

"I came so close to losing you today, or at least I thought I did. Don't do that to me again, Tony."

Tony thought about scoffing and saying he could handle his own, but from the look on Bruce's face, he already knew that. Bruce knew his fear had been irrational, but still he had worried.

Taking Bruce's head in his hands, Tony swept his thumbs along his cheeks, slightly stubbled from not shaving this morning. "I won't. I promise," He said softly and leant forward to kiss Bruce tenderly.

"Bruce, god! You just…you're so good to me. I've never…I'm not…good at expressing how I feel," Tony almost chastised himself for showing so much vulnerability, but he remembered that this was Bruce. There was no one else here to judge or take advantage of his weakness. And when he looked at Bruce smiling at him, there was no judgment in those eyes.

"Show me," Bruce said softly.

Tony looked at him questioningly. Before he could say a word, Bruce repeated his quiet demand, slipping his hand further into Tony's shirt to explain the meaning of those two words.

Tony smiled the happiest smile that Bruce had ever seen, before pressing their lips together in a slow kiss. He moved his lips softly against Bruce's for several long moments, enjoying the feel of those beautiful lips pushing against his own. Caressing the skin of Bruce's cheek with his hand, Tony ran his tongue along the crease of the doctor's full lips. When he smoothed his hand from the stubbled cheek to tangle in Bruce's hair, Bruce opened his mouth in pleasure, deepening the kiss. Eventually, Tony and Bruce broke away to catch their breath. Tony's heart was pounding hard in his chest, overcome with both the physical and emotional sensations. Bruce felt equally overcome, but still maintained a small ounce of necessary control over his heart rate. All this control was lost when Tony kissed him wetly on his pulse point, kissing a trail down the line of his neck, while he simultaneously pushed Bruce to lie fully on his back. Straddling Bruce, Tony slid his free hand underneath Bruce's shirt. Moving down his lover's body, Tony began to remove Bruce's shirt. He kissed every inch of exposed flesh as he slowly drew the shirt up Bruce chest. As soon as the shirt couldn't be pushed up any further, Tony extended his hand and when Bruce held it, he pulled Bruce into a sitting position so he could remove the offending article completely.

Their chests pressed against each other in this position, Tony ran his hands against the muscles of Bruce's back, making good use of the neck exposed to him with his tongue and lips and teeth. Releasing a low moan, Bruce rubbed his hands up Tony's sides underneath the shirt, tugging to hint he wanted this garment off _now_. They reluctantly separated and Bruce stripped the shirt off, catching Tony's lips in an engulfing kiss immediately afterwards. Bruce wrapped his arms completely around Tony, reveling in the glorious skin contact, and fell backwards, pulling Tony bodily on top of him. Exchanging kisses and unable to keep their hands off of each other, they spent several minutes in distracted bliss.

Eventually, Tony moved his lips to press a loving kiss to Bruce's forehead, his cheeks, neck, and ears, tugging on an earlobe and eliciting a gasp of satisfaction from Bruce. Pushing himself into a kneeling position, still straddling Bruce, Tony traced his fingertips down Bruce's abdomen to the waistband of his pants, looking up through his eyelashes at Bruce, who was panting slightly in anticipation. He got up off the bed and stood at the foot of the bed, unbuttoning and slipping off his pants, and removing his socks. Bruce watched in breathless expectation as more of Tony's glorious skin was revealed before him, the light from the arc reactor casting a glow upon the strong physique of the man before him.

To Bruce's surprise, Tony knelt on the floor at the foot of the bed and gently pulled off Bruce's socks, pressing a kiss to the arch of each foot as they were uncovered. Getting up and leaning over the bed, Tony kissed Bruce's stomach as he undid his buttons and zipper. Bruce helpfully raised his hips off the bed so Tony could pull the pants down without hindrance. The newly exposed skin now fell victim to Tony's lips as he kissed from Bruce's ankles all the way to the edge of his boxers, causing Bruce to moan quietly and squirm at the attention.

Bruce had never had so much attention paid to him before, and he was overcome with gratitude, lust, and disbelief. No one had ever tried to show him this much love and caring before. And knowing that _this _was how Tony felt, what he was showing him when his words failed him, _this _was more than Bruce ever expected and felt he deserved for himself. And for once in his life, he couldn't run from this. And he didn't want to.

Bruce sat up and stripped Tony of his boxers, wanting nothing but naked skin against his body. Sensing his urgency, Tony finally removed Bruce's boxers, eyeing him even more appreciatively now that his entire body was exposed. Bruce spread his legs in invitation. He heard Tony take a sharp intake of breath.

"Bruce," he sighed passionately, leaning down to rest his forehead against his lover, checking the look in his eyes to know he was sure about this. They gave him all the permission he needed, and the thought of what he was about to do _with Bruce_, made him release a soft moan. Bruce swiftly cut off this moan by tilting his chin upwards and entangling their tongues and lips again.

Reluctantly extricating himself from Bruce, Tony hopped off the bed and grabbed the lube from the side table before returning to kneel between Bruce's legs. Applying lube to both hands, Tony grasped Bruce firmly and stroked him, while his finger on his other hand circled Bruce's entrance.

Pushing one finger in slowly, Tony tried to distract Bruce from any discomfort by pressing kisses to that glorious body.

"Tony," Bruce moaned, relishing in the unique feeling of invasion. Encouraged, Tony stretched him in time with the strokes on his length, eventually adding a second finger, then a third, and Bruce moaned in pleasure, especially so when Tony located his prostate.

"Tony," Bruce almost whined. In response, Tony removed his hands and leaned forward to kiss Bruce hungrily yet lovingly on the lips. "I love you," he whispered, before positioning himself at Bruce's entrance, enjoying the warm entrapment of his body between Bruce's legs. Tony looked up at Bruce to see if he was ready.

Bruce visibly swallowed and nodded, his expression transforming from one of lustful anticipation to one of exquisite sensation, both pain and pleasure intermingling, as Tony steadily pushed into him.

"Oh, Tony, I love you," Bruce moaned when Tony filled him completely and Tony cried out at the amazing tightness surrounding him. Relaxing into the feeling, Bruce wrapped his legs around Tony's torso and rocked his hips slightly, causing Tony to groan in response and to begin thrusting, slowly at first, but gaining some speed as Bruce began to thrust up against him. Their lovemaking was unhurried and loving, incorporating their affection and trust as much as their lust and attraction for each other. Sighs, soft moans, and exclamations of names were emitted as they exchanged kisses, explored skin, and thrust their bodies together in the most intimate way. They both finished with wordless cries, collapsing with exhaustion, yet unable to release their hold on the other.

Tony pressed a kiss to Bruce's forehead, before wiping them down with the comforter and tossing the dirty comforter on the floor. Both men were pleasantly flushed with exertion, and Tony thought he had never loved Bruce more. And as they fell asleep tangled up and naked underneath the sheets, Bruce thought he had never felt more loved.

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**AN: **Sleep, reviews, follows, favorites, and just plain readers are heavenly. Especially sleep. Which I shall get right now :)


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